


Hanging On to Tomorrow

by Wolpertinger (Cicadian_Rhythm)



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Child Soldiers, Depression, Dorks in Love, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, I'm too gay to have any fic of mine have the acronym of HET, Listen- Sonic Fan Fiction for Shadamy was not on my bingo card for 2020 but you know what?, Magical Realism, Multi, OC Relationships - Freeform, OC/OC - Freeform, Post-Canon, Recreational Drug Use, Slow Burn, Suicide mention, Therapy, This was called Hanging on the edge of Tomorrow but I changed the title, and Edge of Tomorrow is taken so here we are, it makes me feel whole, shadamy - Freeform, side characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27308818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cicadian_Rhythm/pseuds/Wolpertinger
Summary: It's been five years since anyone has heard from Eggman. After his last defeat, the world considered him gone, and thus, everyone was safe.The thing about that is when you've spent your entire life fighting, the fighting is never really over.This story focuses on Shadow and Amy while also showcasing the aftereffects of war on the main cast and civilians alike. There's friendship, there's romance, there's despondence, there's comfort, but the most important thing is, as they go through these events, they keep holding on to that edge of tomorrow.
Relationships: Amy Rose/Shadow the Hedgehog
Comments: 38
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ...So, it's 2020. Been a year. Might as well be a little nostalgic. 
> 
> I loved this ship when I first played SA2, but then because the games kinda went to garbage and I didn't know where to even begin with the Archie stuff, I didn't pick it up again. Then I bought the SA2B and SA1 ports for PC during the anniversary sale and...well...I'm back on my bullshit. 
> 
> Everyone's been aged up 15 years, so before anyone panics, Amy Rose is 27. Just take their cannon age and tack on 15 years. 
> 
> I have a bad habit of going back and messing with previous chapters, particularly for grammar, so if you read this once and then again, and something has changed between, you're not imagining- I did do that. 
> 
> I also want to clarify- the romance does not start here. This is not a romantic chapter. I am not romanticizing the struggles these characters go through. This is just the moment where they, once again, realize they can lean on each other. They do it in the videogames and they do it in Archie (which I did research, even if I didn't read the comics). Just want to clarify because I don't want anything to get twisted. 
> 
> Anyway- last notes- if you want to set the mood, I listened to this a lot while planning on what to write.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5aMav6q-o0 
> 
> Let me know what you think!
> 
> \--ADDED NOTES--  
> The theme song for the whole thing is this. I listen to it over and over before I even try to write a chapter and I may or may not have a whole intro animation imagined around it.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_POHobhOIk
> 
> Also- It's basically Fleetway Amy. Fleetway Amy is Best Amy and honestly it's a shame that the US Sega team thought they could do better than this absolutely baller babe with a crossbow and no fucks to give. I'm going to link art below because it's some of the best new art for her that I've found and YES it's a furaffinity link I had to backtrack the thing from Pinterest because I'm a lot of things but a liar and a thief I am not so here take your Baller Fleetway Amy on FurAffinity - credit where credit is due- and I'm going to go write the next chapter. Goodnight everybody.
> 
> https://www.furaffinity.net/full/13088707/
> 
> Lastly, YES- the name of this changed. It was Hanging On the Edge of Tomorrow but I realized I incorrectly capitalized 'on' and I'm too gay to have something poses the acronym that is HET so It's been changed.

The party had been too loud. 

That’s what Shadow told himself as he shut the door of the balcony behind him, taking in a deep breath of the crisp air. For a moment, he lingered there, watching warm shapes move back and forth across the frosted glass before he turned away and walked to the balcony ledge, resting his arms against the railing. 

No.

He took off his suit jacket and unknotted his tie, letting the autumn night sink into his skin. 

Better. 

Shadow tossed the jacket atop the railing and rested again, his hands dangling down as he looked up. There were no stars to be seen, just the moon tonight, half invested in the evening and hanging lonely in its corner of the sky. 

Shadows’ hands slowly curled to fists, then relaxed again. 

The silence was broken by the balcony door opening again, the sounds from inside bursting forth like water through a broken dam, only to go still again as the door was shut. He didn’t turn as footsteps approached, there was no need. The abrasive sound of heavy footfalls in heels told him all he needed to know. 

“Amy Rose.” 

“Shadow.” 

There was a clatter. In his peripheral, he watched as she sat on the railing, bare feet dangling over the edge and kicking gently in the nothing. 

Amy turned to him then, and he looked away as she said, “What a day, huh?”

He shrugged. 

“Weird. Doesn’t feel like it’s been so long. I mean, that Eggman’s been gone for so long. Well, okay, five years maybe isn’t-” 

“I get the point.” 

Amy gave a small laugh, which fell over the balcony and shattered on the ground below. Shadow looked at her then, took in her hunched posture, her fragile face. Her quills, once trained to curl under, now stood at attention and without restraint. Her eyes, once vividly present, now seemed focused on something leagues away. 

He said nothing. 

“You must have thoughts,” she said, meeting his gaze, “fifteen years here on Earth, wow. Feels like yesterday.” 

Shadow hesitated, then nodded. 

“Sorry,” she turned away, looking skyward, “Sorry, just been thinking a lot.” 

Shadow made a note of how she twisted and pressed her palms against the concrete of the railing, how she grit her teeth behind her smile. 

“I think that’s the point of anniversaries,” he mumbled. 

Amy chuckled, “Yeah, that’s true, I guess. It’s just most people like to celebrate how far they’ve come, not what it took to get here.” 

His eyes narrowed as he chose his words carefully, “You’re being...rather transparent.”

“...Yeah,” Amy nodded. She chewed her lip for a moment, then added, “Sorry, I- guess I should have asked first. I just kinda figured you’d maybe get it.” 

“Why would you assume that?”

Amy looked at him then with a gaze that pierced, “You’re out here too, aren’t you?” 

Shadow clenched his teeth, turning his face back to the moon. Silence filled in the space between them, only occasionally occupied by the sound of the distant city or a loud laugh from inside. 

“Moon’s pretty tonight,” she said, “Then again, moon’s pretty every night.” 

Shadow shrugged, and Amy laughed.

“What?” she poked his shoulder, and when he drew his arms closer to himself, she laughed again, “You one of those people that think it’s just an over-hyped rock?” 

When he didn’t say anything, Amy continued, “I’m really glad that it rotated. Didn’t know it could do that, did you? Tails tried to explain it to me once. Something something… gravitational pull and whatever,” she sighed, “Never did have the brain for hard sciences like that though, so I can’t even begin to try and reiterate. I’m just glad we don’t have to look at that giant hole anymore.” 

Shadow sighed, hands clenching and unclenching again. He felt Amy pull away then, and the noise of understanding she made caused his skin to crawl. 

“So that’s why Mr. Moody is out here then.” 

“Stop,” he snapped, pushing off against the balcony to stand upright, finally meeting that gaze of hers again, “Stop it.” 

“Sorry-” Amy held up her hands, “Sorry, really.” 

She meant it, clearly she did, but it didn’t matter. He grimaced, crossing his arms, “Why are you out here? Was it your intention to harass me?” 

She shrugged, looking away, “It was just too loud. I wanted to think, and I needed quiet for that.” 

“Oh, let me guess then,” he rolled his eyes, “You came out here to wish on every star that Sonic notices you tonight, or, wait,” he smirked, “Did you hope that he’d notice you were gone?” 

Amy recoiled, flinching, and offered no reply. The silence of the night settled in between them again, heavier now, and Shadow watched as the hem of her dress floated in the smallest of breezes, struck again by her feet dangling over the inky blackness of the lawn far down below, and how her eyes seemed to focus on something far past it. 

“That was out of line,” he mumbled. 

Amy offered no response. She had stopped smiling by this point, her head bowed, hands twisted in her lap. Shadow sighed, leaning back against the balcony. 

“Do you really think that’s all I want, all I worked for?” Amy finally said, so quiet he almost didn’t catch it, “Do you and everyone else seriously think that Sonic is my only goal in life? Really?”

“...No,” he finally relented, “I don’t.” 

She didn’t reply. Shadow ran a hand through his quills, scratching at the nape of his neck as he cast about for something, anything, to say. Down below, a chauffeur drove a car up to the gate, dry leaves scattering along the asphalt. Shadow watched briefly as the headlights slid over her profile, casting shifting shapes across her face.

He swallowed, “There are...a lot of people who I’m sure are very excited to see you tonight.”

She laughed, her voice hard and breaking against her teeth in such a way that startled him as she continued, “They’re inside, having conversations about politics and projects and war stories, and all anyone asks me is, ‘Where’s Sonic?’ ‘How’s Sonic,’ ‘I thought Sonic would be here,’ ‘I thought Sonic was with you.’” 

Amy's voice cracked then, and she sniffed, watching the car drive back the same way it had come before adding, “This might surprise you and everyone else, Shadow, but my world doesn’t revolve around him. I commanded the resistance, I earned that position, and I did a lot with it. It would be nice if maybe people would recognize that instead of just asking me about someone else who couldn’t even be bothered to show up. 

Shadow hesitated, mouth opening and closing before he gave up, sighing as he looked back towards the party, brow furrowed as he finally said, “You know the truth, that’s the important thing.” 

Amy scoffed. It was a poor response, he knew it, but there was nothing else he could think to say.

Shadow turned away when he realized she was wiping her eyes. 

He had wanted the quiet, but now, even that seemed deafening. Her uneven breathing was the only thing he could hear, and he picked at lichens on the banister as he waited for her to speak. There was one last shaky breath, and then she clapped, startling him as he whipped around to face her. 

Even with his skin prickling at the jolt that ran through him, he had to hand it to her. Amy pulled herself together well. 

“Well,” she said, looking at him, eyebrow cocked, “I can’t be the only one out here spilling my guts. You finally gonna be honest with me?” 

“I’d rather not.” 

“Yeah, well I’d rather not have cried in front of you, but we don’t always get what we want, now do we, Mr. Moody.” 

Shadow blinked, mouth opening slowly into a silent ‘oh’ as he processed before finally saying,“Are you... attempting to emotionally blackmail me?”

Amy grinned, all teeth and vinegar. She shifted, turning to almost side-saddle the railing, “No attempting, only succeeding.” 

He pulled away from her, arms wrapping tighter around himself, “And what if I refuse?” 

“You won't’,” she insisted, leaning towards him, her hands disrupting the green and blues of the moss atop the railing, “You may not want to admit it, but you don’t like disappointing people, and I’m letting you know right now, I will be very disappointed if you don’t start talking.” 

Shadow bristled, face twisting, and she just laughed at him. But then, she wasn’t really laughing at him, was she? 

“You’re trying being funny,” he mumbled, more to himself than to her, but still, the smile she had was all he needed to know he was right.

“You just look so serious, and, well, I haven’t been helping,” Amy shrugged, “but you do look like you’ve got something on your mind, and if I know you as well as I like to think I do, you should probably talk about it. It’s whenever you don’t that we end up with a problem.” 

He grumbled. Taking a moment and a deep breath, he met that strange gaze of hers as he continued, “I am... reflecting on G.U.N’s decision to turn the lost half of the moon into a military base.” 

“...They’re doing what now?”

“You heard me.” 

“That-” she lifted a hand to her mouth, eyes wide, “but- no…” 

Shadow nodded, “I also have reservations.”

“There are...so many implications with- Where did you hear this? I haven’t seen anything about it.” 

“It’s not public knowledge,” he said, “It’s all internal as of right now.” 

Amy’s brow furrowed at that, “Couldn’t you get into some serious trouble for telling me?” 

“And? It’s a dangerous decision. It should be exposed,” he rolled his eyes, “What will they do, lock me in suspension again? They’ve been threatening me with such things since I started my tenure with them.” 

“I thought you were their poster boy.” 

Shadow’s laugh surprised even himself. It was hard, and rang out across the dark lawn like a gunshot. Amy leaned in, and he hated to see how she finally seemed to focus on him, pierced him, having the audacity to look concerned. 

Shadow looked away, even as the laughter still rattled in his chest like gravel, making it hard to breathe. He swallowed against the feeling, his mouth setting itself into a hard line. 

“...What are you actually considering?” 

“I’m-” he stopped, hesitating, then, “I’ve been thinking for years...how I could fix it, and I think I’ve finally settled on a method. Chaos control in some asteroids, junk satellites, refuse. Things people wouldn’t miss. If I compacted it hard enough, I could start to rebuild the damage I caused.” 

“...You’re serious.” Amy’s voice was so low, “Shadow...that’s a suicide mission.” 

He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze. Instead, Shadow pulled his arms tighter around himself as he stared at the skyline, watching the twinkling lights in the distance. 

He heard her shuffle, stepping down off the ledge and onto the balcony. No words were spoken, but as soon as Shadow heard her move towards him, he flinched, pulling back. 

“We all have different goals,” he snarled, “Yours are misconstrued to be about a man and mine are mistaken for destruction. Of all people, I’d assume you’d have the two brain cells to rub together to use logic and-” 

“What logic?” Amy’s voice rose, body bristling, “Shadow, you can’t-!” 

“You asked,” Shadow bit back, “I don’t know why you’re so aghast when you asked.” 

Amy grabbed his arm then, and even when he attempted to pull away, her grip remained, “I know you regret-” 

Shadow hissed through his teeth. Taking her clutching hand with his free one, he pried her fingers off and took a step back.

“No,” he snarled, “You don’t.” 

“Okay,” Amy said, flexing and shaking out her hand, but not breaking her gaze, “Okay, maybe I didn’t blow up the moon, but I’ve done a lot of stupid shit. I hurt a lot of people, especially when I wasn’t trying to.” 

“That’s different.” 

“Maybe,” she moved towards him again, her slow steps purposeful, “It’s different because of who we are, but the outcome was the same. We’ve both caused a lot of harm doing what we thought was right. In fact,” she pointed towards the doors, to the shifting shadows and distant music, “everyone in there has, but I’m probably going to be the only one to admit to you that I get it when you say you’d rather die trying to fix your mistakes than live with them.” 

“Bold words for a woman who’s been flirting with a ledge all evening,” he snapped. 

“Real cocky attitude for a man who’s talking about killing himself on the moon!” 

“I-!” Shadow took a deep breath, running both his hands through his quills until he had a nice chunk of both and pulled, just enough, to cause him to focus on something, anything, other than how much he hated that piercing look.

“That’s not the point,” he mumbled, finally. 

“So what, it’s a happy little side effect then? Come on,” she rolled her eyes, “If we’re gonna be honest here, then you have to know that I know exactly the angle you’re trying to take, and it doesn’t matter.” 

“You’re one to talk.” 

“Maybe not,” Amy shrugged, “But you know what? I’m getting help. I know my options. Yeah, you’re right. That ledge?” she pointed, “Super tempting, but I know if I do that, I’m never really going to have a chance to make anything better. In fact, it’s just going to make everything so much worse.” 

“And I know what you’re going to say,” she cut him off, glaring at him to try and stop her from continuing, “You’re going to say, ‘you’re position is different,’ and ‘people would miss you,’ but Shadow, people would miss you too, people would be devastated-” 

He didn’t know what the noise was that bubbled from his chest. It was something between a growl and a scream, echoing behind clenched teeth. In two strides, he was nose to nose with her, eyes wide and furious. 

“You have no room to tell me what to do,” he hissed.

She held his gaze, “I’m not telling you, I’m asking you. Please, don’t.” 

“Why should I listen?” 

Amy’s face wavered, and in that instant, his own resolve faltered. For a moment, she glanced away, her eyes faded to that distant look once more, and then, against all of his expectations she wrapped her arms around him. 

“I don’t know,” she mumbled into his shoulder, “but... I’m just really hoping that you do.”

Shadow stood there, frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, what to say, where to put his hands. He felt her shake, her chest rattling, and then, tears bleeding into the fur of his shoulder. 

He let out the breath he didn’t realize he was holding and slowly brought his arms up to encircle her, holding her as if he was trying to prevent her from shattering.

Standing there, it felt like forever passed him in an instant. The party was a distant memory. All that existed was the now, the quiet still save for the rattling of leaves and her uneven breathing. 

“They don’t give you enough credit, Amy Rose,” he mumbled, absently rubbing his thumb between her shoulder blades.

He felt her shift, her head lifting just enough to give a muffled, “What makes you say that now?” 

“You’re one of only a handful of people who’s ever successfully convinced me to not do something stupid.”

Amy chuckled, “Is that a compliment?” 

“...Yes.” 

He felt her smile against his skin before burying her face into his shoulder once more. 

“It’s not stupid,” she mumbled, “We’ve all been there, but...I’m glad I can help. And if you ever need help again, I’ll be there.”

Shadow didn’t say anything, just stood there, watching a distant plane appear on the horizon, it lights coming on as it prepared for the arduous process of landing.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With all the chaos that has happened globally within the last 24 hours, I'm just going to say fuck it and post this.
> 
> Dollop belongs to Biolizardboils-https://biolizardboils.tumblr.com/
> 
> As an aside...is there any other word to use except Mobian? When I was new to all of this, we still just used Anthro. I know that's dating myself but like... Mobian is such a weird word and I never liked that concept anyway. 
> 
> Also- typo? Tell me.

“Don’t mess with me right now, please?” 

Amy drug her hands down her face, fingers landing to press against her lips as she looked at the cards before her, spread out on the bed where she sat. She was going to be late if she didn’t get her ass in gear, but at that moment, it didn’t matter. 

The tower. Upright. Her present set of circumstances. She’s going through shock and tumultuous change. Amy had been getting that a lot recently, which, okay, fine. A lot of things were going on right now in her life, as well as not going on. That, she reasoned, made sense. 

The two of wands. Reversed. What’s hindering her. What a bitchy thing for her deck to say. Also confusing as hell. So was she overconfident or undermining herself? Or was her overconfidence undermining her? 

The four of swords. Upright. The solution. Contemplation, meditation. Rest. Rest on what? Contemplate on what? The unknown blockage? Her many shortcomings? A change that was coming? 

“Amy!” came a voice from the other side of the bedroom door, “Come on!” 

“One more card,” Amy mumbled, shuffling the remaining cards as she screwed up her face, eyes tightly shut, “One more, last one. Tell me. Make this clear.

A card jumped from her hand, slipping between her fingers and landing on the bedspread. Opening her eyes, she let out a groan. 

“Oh fuck you.” 

The five of wands. The outcome. Conflict, tension, but what kind? Directed where? 

And why were her outcomes just more problems? 

Or was this even actually the outcome?

She went to shuffle her desk again. 

“Amy! Move!” 

Amy swiped the cards up from the blankets and reshuffled the deck, grumbling as she looked at the clock before wrapping them in a hair tie, grabbing her jacket, and bolting for the living room. 

Her roommates were already about to leave: Loraine the Deer, put together as always and applying chapstick while trying to find the door key, and Genie the Capybara, so bundled you could barely see her between her coat and all the knitwear. Both looked up at Amy as she struggled to pull on her jacket and stuff her deck into her pocket at the same time. 

“Come on!” Loraine said, exasperated and gesturing down the complex hall, “We’re going to hit traffic.” 

Genie, though she rolled her eyes, smiled, “We’ll get there.”

“Sorry,” mumbled Amy, finally getting her arms through the sleeves, “Sorry, really,” 

“You’re fine,” said Genie.

“Let’s just get a move-” Loraine gasped as one of her antlers caught between the door and doorframe. She hissed as she felt behind and above her, trying to figure out where she was caught.

“Oof,” Genie reached her hands up, fingertips barely brushing Loraine’s lower jaw as she tried to direct, “Little to the left. Not that far. Tilt your head- there you go.” 

Loraine growled, eyes closed as she gave a vicious little shake of her head, “I really, really need to get them trimmed.” 

“Aw, I like the world knowing I have a 10 point girlfriend.” 

Amy laughed even while Loraine blushed furiously. 

“That’s so stupid,” Loraine grumbled.

Genie scoffed, “It’s a classic, and true.” 

“It’s bad. You’re bad. Let’s go.” 

Locking the door behind them, they made their way through the building and down to the parking lot where Amy’s car sat. Amy quickly got in, maneuvering the door and the passenger seat so that everyone was able to finally tuck themselves in. 

“It’ll warm up in a moment,” she said, turning the key in the ignition, and then turning it again when the engine didn’t start. 

“Amy,” mumbled Loraine, “maybe it’s time to get a new car.” 

“No.” 

“Leave it be, Lorie. This one’s fine,” Genie said, leaning forward as much as she was able to, though admittedly, that wasn’t much. 

Amy heard Loraine sigh. Crossing her fingers, she turned the key one more time and the car finally puttered to life, headlights blinking as they came on. With that, they drove out of the parking lot and into New Central City. 

Amy still didn’t like that name. 

No amount of rebuilding could ever erase the streets she remembered. 

“You okay?” 

“Sorry,” she mumbled, centering herself in her lane only for the light ahead to change to red. Which one of them had spoken? She swallowed, throat dry, “Sorry, yeah.” 

She felt Loraine reach out, fingertips grazing her elbow as she asked, “Do you need me to drive? We can swap here- the light’s a long one.” 

“No, I’ve got it.” 

There was a huff from the back seat, “Watcha overthinking?” 

Amy opened her mouth, shut it, and sighed, pressing on the gas as the light turned green, “I just got a weird reading before we left, that’s all.” 

“Oh?” Loraine shuffled in the seat, trying to reposition her neck as she turned to face Amy.

“Yeah. I can’t really make heads or tails of it, but it didn’t...look great.” 

“Those always suck,” Loraine said, nodding as best she could, “What did you get?” 

“Tower, two of wands, four of swords, five of swords. Five of swords jumped the deck though.” 

“Oh! That’s...not a good thing, is it?” 

“Eh,” Amy shrugged, “It just means that it’s important to pay attention to. Could be any card, for any reason. Doesn’t mean it’s bad.” 

Amy heard Genie unbuckle her seat belt and scooch forwards, grabbing onto the front seats to pull herself into the conversation, “So what was your overall read?” 

“Get your seatbelt back on,” said Amy, turning a little harder than she needed to and enjoying how she felt Genie’s grip tighten. 

Still, Genie scoffed, “We’re almost there it’s fine.” 

“We’re still several minutes away.” 

“Yeah, almost there.” 

Amy rolled her eyes, but answered, “Basically… There’s going to be a change coming. Big one. I need to prepare for it, but apparently, I’m both overconfident and undermining myself at the same time? Which...whatever, I’ll figure it out. It looks like the change is either going to lead to conflict or be born out of conflict. I didn’t really get a chance to finish. Was trying a new spread and it took a little longer than usual.” 

“I can look at your star chart if you want me too,” Loraine said, touching Amy’s elbow again as she continued, “We’ve got a lot of stuff in retrograde right now.” 

“You did that at the beginning of this year.” 

“Yeah, but a lot changes in half a year.” 

“I can make you a blend of something,” Genie added, nodding alongside her girlfriend, “if you tell me what’s up and what you need.” 

“Of tea or weed?”

You could hear the grin in her voice, “Yes.”

Amy scoffed, “I can’t be stoned twenty-four-seven like you, Genie. That’s not going to fix my problems.” 

“Fixes mine just fine.” 

Amy laughed then, even as Loraine hung her head to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

Eventually, they made it to the parking lot of the squat, sandy-colored building known as the Cornerstone. Once Amy found a spot, they got out of the car and stretched before making their way inside. 

Square didn’t even begin to describe this place. Everything was squared, Even the windows were largely rectangle-like. All those right edges and shades of beige would have normally put Amy on edge, but something about this place made it seem calming. That, and the smell of incense coming from the meeting room in the basement that seemed to always waft up the stairs. Bypassing the main worship hall, they took the stairs down, turned right, and found their destination at the end of a short hall behind a door. 

Opening it, they found everyone just starting to organize chairs. 

“Good to see you again, ladies!” called Dr. Johnson, a corgi, from across a room of maybe fifteen people, her tail wagging as they entered, “You’re just in time. Reverend Dollop brought some baked goods, so help yourself and grab a seat.” 

Amy chuckled at Genie throwing the therapist two thumbs up and walking sideways until she almost tripped over her own feet.

“How fucking high are you? Are you going to be okay for tonight?” mumbled Amy as they detangled rusted folding chairs, “Like, are you going to need me to pretend that I have food poisoning again to get us out of here?” 

Genie shook her head, “I’ll be fine. All the...everything... just fucked me up a bit. Even just talking about Eggman on the news...it's been setting me off.” 

Amy nodded, “I absolutely feel that.” 

“Kinda figured you did.” 

“Is... Lorie also going through it? I’m sorry. I should have really been checking on you guys more. ” 

“Nah man, it’s cool. We’re all stuck in ourselves right now. And...Eh,” Genie waved one of her hands, eyeballing it with a look of uncertainty, “She keeps saying that the planets are going to get their shit in order. Well, not that, but, you know- I can’t keep up with all the lingo. I think that’s what’s helping her hold on.” 

“She also has that interview coming up, right?” 

“Yeah, for House Manager. Here’s hoping it’s better than last time.” 

They took their folding chairs, grabbed some sweets, and found gaps in the steadily forming circle that was taking shape in the center of the room. Amy slowly nibbled around the overhanging edge of a cupcake as she watched familiar faces move about her, waiting. She should get up, she figured, talk, check on some people she knew would be having a hard time, but the energy to do so just wasn’t there. 

She wondered, absently, if Shadow ever felt like this. 

Blinking slowly, she let herself get lost in the maze of the floor, brain idly making patterns of the smudges and blobs of color. 

He probably did, she reasoned. Maybe even before now. How often had she caught him away from the crowd, looking at nothing? How common was it to find him trapped in his head with that solemn face of his? At the time, Amy had chalked it up to his personality but now...no. No, she had been lying to herself. 

She thought of his eyes, and the night, and the ringing of the silent dark. 

The buzz of low conversation and gentle clatter filled the back of her head, and she let herself go a little cross-eyed. Finally, she bit into the icing and hoped maybe it took the bitter taste out of her mouth as she slipped into a fuzzy space of nothing. 

He really had been lost for a long time, hadn’t he? 

And how many excuses had she made to not check up on him? 

It wasn’t her job, but...

She should have been a better friend. 

“Hey, could you maybe move to the right a little?” 

Amy jerked to attention, feeling like she was coming out of a fall as she turned to see a cat standing next to her, leaning on a folding chair and clearly trying not to laugh as she all but choked on Dollop’s homemade icing. 

“Yeah, absolutely!” Amy finally managed to gasp, moving to the right with the screech of metal on linoleum. 

“Alright everyone,” Dr. Johnson said, sitting down in her chair, “We’re going to get started, so if you could all take your seat?” 

And just like that, the atmosphere of the room changed. 

What had been a calm camaraderie had suddenly turned to ice, freezing everyone in their seats. Everyone’s eyes were on Dr. Johnson, waiting. 

“I’d like to take this moment to thank Reverend Dollop once again for allowing us to use this space, as well as for providing us with tonight’s refreshments,” she allowed the ram in question to give a small wave before continuing, “Tonight, because of Armistice Day, we’re going to be changing it up a little bit. I know you all have a lot on your mind. I’ve decided to organize tonight around having those of you who are comfortable talk about where your head has been, what you’ve been thinking of, and what you’ve been doing in order to stay present and safe. We’re all having struggles right now, and though those struggles may be different, I think being able to vocalize and help one another as needed is a good place to start.” 

Dr. Johnson settled into her chair, and continued, “So, going around the room, I’d like to let you all talk. If you don’t want to talk and instead would prefer to listen, that’s more than fine, but I do encourage you to speak your mind, even if it’s just to me privately afterwards. Now,” she leaned forwards, “Would anyone like to start?” 

And slowly, the room opened up. 

People talked about their loved ones, dead, missing, or presumed worse. People talked about lost homes and ways of living. People talked about their memories of succumbing to the virus. People talked about what they saw when they closed their eyes for too long. 

And how, from all of that, they found new meaning in life. 

There was a lot of discussions on gardening, and on the maintenance of so many little memory gardens that had sprung up around the city, or how they volunteered to maintain the cemeteries by keeping the shrubs trimmed and the tulips from overgrowing their beds. There were plenty who had opened their own shops, or reopened shops. Many painted vivid descriptions of road trips, new jobs, hobbies and passions, and how they helped heal up some of the wounds that just couldn’t be seen. 

Amy clung to that. Every word uttered, she held with rapt attention. Fishing her tarot out from her pocket, she’d quietly shuffle as a person talked, occasionally flipping a card to check, to make sure- were they doing okay? Were they eventually going to be okay? 

Many of the answers were yes, and she’d relax, sink back into her chair again and let the words wash over her. 

Yet thoughts of Shadow still hovered in the back of her brain, like...well. 

She cut the deck, cards softly collapsing in on one another like a great bridge. Fold and cut and shuffle, fold and cut and shuffle. Finally, she flipped the card on top. 

The Emperor. Reversed. Ridgid and powerless, struggling with avoidance. Someone who can control the chaos now being swallowed by it. 

It took the person next to her to nudge gently at her knee for Amy to realize it was her turn to talk. For a moment, she stumbled over herself, shoving her deck in her pocket with one hand while she ran her hand through her quills with the other. 

“Uh,” she chuckled, eyes darting across the floor. She had to get it together. Normally, she had no issues with sharing what was going on. 

That was going to make it worse. They were going to find out. 

“My name is Amy Rose. I’m- I’m still working for the PINE.” 

Dr. Johnson cut in gently, “And could you remind us what PINE is?” 

Amy nodded, “The PINE is the Preservation of Imperiled Natural Environments. It’s a non-profit run by the United Federations,” She swallowed, “And work has been busy, so that’s good. We’ve been ramping up because grant paperwork is due soon and we really need more money if we want to continue helping the Aqua Lake heritage counsel rebuild a lot of the forest around the area that was lost.” 

“I have a cousin who lives near there,” said a bat on the other side of the room, “He says you guys are doing an awesome job.” 

Amy smiled, “That’s really great to hear, thanks.” 

She looked back at her hands then, taking a deep breath and continuing, “Um… but- well, I’ve mentioned before that I actively served in the Resistance. It’s been… I’ve been remembering a lot of stuff. I-” her brain shuffled through all the different things she could say, all the different ways she could lay it out there: how she was spending her nights overthinking decisions she made years ago, how she sometimes thought she saw from the corner of her eye a badnik and it sent her into panicked rage, how she felt when a loud noise rang out and she had to fight the urge to grab the nearest person and run. 

She thought of the ledge, and the moonlight, and the long way down. 

Amy could feel her skin tingling and knew without a doubt that her quills were bristling. Well, that and the fact that the people on either side of her were leaning away as politely as physically possible. 

“I ran into an old...well, I guess you could call them a friend. We didn’t serve together, but we fought together, sometimes. Turns out they were in a similar spot. It was...it was good to talk to someone who had been there. So um,” she drummed her fingers against the tarot deck in her pocket, chewing her lip until she finally eeked out, “so that was good, that helped.” 

Amy heard Dr. Johnson hum, and didn’t have to look up to know what face she was making as she said, “Thank you so much for sharing, Amy. I’m glad you’re able to reconnect with some of those you knew before. It sounds like it was helpful.” 

She nodded, and sighed as she felt Dr. Johnson’s attention slid to the person next to her. 

After a few more minutes, Dr. Johnson gave them a small recap on acceptance through visualization, on mentally putting situations and thoughts in physical spaces and picturing the process of letting them go. Amy tried, she did, and while everyone else shared what worked best for them, all she could picture was all of her little balloons filled with worry popping as soon as they got too high. Then, there was the recap on positive thinking skills and stress management, which, yes, that was usually Amy’s jam, she loved those, she used those often, but tonight, it wasn’t clicking. 

She kept thinking back to how those hard eyes had flashed in the night, so angry, so sure, and she would once again have to swallow against the bitterness even as her heart slowly continued to sink. 

“Well,” Dr. Johnson stood, smiling, "I think on the whole, you guys are doing a really good job at taking care of yourselves and those around you right now. It seems like there’s a good amount of understanding here, and I really liked what I saw today. I will remind you that if any of you need to speak to me afterwards, I have about fifteen minutes before the next group comes in and you are more than welcome to stay for that duration. I look forward to seeing you all next month! Oh, and- please do remember to leave the chairs where they are!” 

Amy stood, gesturing to Loraine to wait a moment as she made a bee-line for Dr. Johnson, who turned to her seemingly on instinct before she had even breached half the distance. 

“Ms. Rose,” she said, her pleasant demeanor slipping just a little as she spoke, her voice low and sad, “I really wish I could give you more assistance, but as I told you before, I’m trained in helping civilians manage trauma, not soldiers.” 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Amy mumbled, doing her best to flatten her quills. 

“Have you looked into the one on one therapy sessions that they offer here?” 

“Y-yes, but I like you.” 

Dr. Johnson sighed, “Have you told them about your financial situation? They could offer you a discount.”

“I never said-” 

“You work for a nonprofit.” Dr. Johnson looked at Amy with a critical eye, “It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.” 

Amy bit her lip, thumbing the edge of her tarot as she watched Dr. Johnsons’ face until it cracked.

“Ms. Rose, you’ve been coming here for three years now. Most people phase out after a year, two at max. You’re not getting the help you need.” 

“You are helping,” Amy insisted, “You’re helping a lot. I just...I wanted to ask for more tips on how to replace negative thoughts with healthier ones.” 

“Did you finish reading the book I gave you?”

“...No.” 

Dr. Johnson gave a tired smile, “Try that, then we can talk, okay? There’s a really good section in there about being able to commiserate with like-minded and similarly-struggling individuals. It sounds like maybe that’s a good place for you to start, since you mentioned being able to reconnect with that combat friend of yours.” 

It was like a small bulb blew at the back of Amy’s brain, the electric charge moving through her system like lightning.

Should have been obvious, really. 

Also explained what that conflict was going to be about, but you know what? 

“Speaking of them,” she said, tapping on the deck in her pocket, “Um…what-what is the guest policy for here?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow it's been a week. Hi, here you go. Stayed up till 4am to finish the draft and have been picking at it since. If I don't post it now, I don't know if I will. 
> 
> Velvet belongs to Biolizardboils-https://biolizardboils.tumblr.com/

Shadow stared at the phone in his hand, rereading the text. His brow furrowed as he scanned through it one more time, slowly rolling the socket between his fingers. 

He sighed. 

Finally, Shadow got up from his bench in the garage and, ducking through the side door and up the narrow staircase, made his way to the loft of Club Rouge. When he opened the door, Rouge was sitting at the island by the kitchenette just to the left, still slowly sipping the same cup of coffee she had been nursing for two hours now. 

He tossed the phone onto the countertop and pointed. 

“Why does Amy Rose have my work number?” 

“Why do you have your shoes on in the house?” she said without looking up from her own phone. 

Shadow crossed his arms, nails digging into his elbows as he waited. Eventually, Rouge gave in, sighing as she placed her own phone screen down on the counter and rubbed her temples. 

“She asked for it, alright?” 

“That’s my work phone. It’s for work.” 

“Yeah, well you don’t have a personal phone, else I would have given her that one.” 

“Why are you giving away any number of mine at all?”

“She said she wanted to talk to you,” Rouge rolled her eyes, smiling as she finally looked at him, “I’m guessing it has something to do with that little rendezvous that the two of you had out on the balcony of the Presidential Manor about a week ago?” 

Shadow felt himself bristle, and Rouge chuckled. 

“They’re not tracking you anymore, and you’re most certainly not bugged if that’s what you’re worried about. I got them to calm down after everything you did to help us get into Scrap Brain.” 

“So you were just watching me all evening?” 

“Yeah,” Rouge said, leaning towards him with a critical look, her foot tapping quietly against her chair, “Obviously. You weren’t acting like yourself.” 

Shadow drummed his fingers, then finally uncrossed his arms, sighing as he reached down to take off his shoes. Turning, he tossed them towards the mat in front of the door before facing Rouge again. 

The two of them stayed like that, Rouge sipping her coffee and staring him, Shadow staring back as he chewed on the inside of his lips. 

“She says she wants to meet up,” he finally said, “Get a coffee, or lunch.” 

Rouge perked up at that, “Can I read it?” 

Shadow gestured, and she snatched the phone from the table, keying in the preprogrammed password like greased lightning. He watched her as she processed the text and braced himself as he saw the smile that slithered across her features. 

“Ooo, guess you are a ladies man after all.” 

He made a face. Shadow tried to grab the phone from her, but Rouge pulled it away from him, holding it over her head like a kid playing keep-away. 

“What did the two of you talk about anyway?” she said as she waved the phone from side to side, sipping her coffee with her free hand. 

“None of your business.” 

“Come ooon Shadow, I wanna knooow!” 

“You’re her friend, aren’t you?” 

Rouge shrugged, “I mean, we text. Mainly it’s to discuss the news. I don’t think I’ve actually talked to her outside of those little state-sponsored events.” 

“Make more of an effort,” he mumbled, watching the phone sway side to side, “She could use someone to talk to.” 

Rouge stopped waving the phone. It took living with her for years to notice the stoniness that seemed to encase her lackadaisy smile, how her eyes grew sharp as she processed what he said. With a soft hum, she placed the phone back on the table, bowing her head to take a sip as she mumbled, “Well, you know what? Maybe I will. Sweet girl after all, and smart. I’ve never struggled to have a conversation with her.” 

“Good, then you text her and let her know you’ll see her soon.” 

“Excuse me?” 

Shadow gestured, “Text her back.” 

Rouge tapped his phone with her index finger, “Honey, she told me she wanted your number, and she texted you to ask you to hang out. If you’re so hellbent to not go, then say no, but I’m not taking your place.” 

Shadow opened his mouth, then sighed, his argument dying in his throat as he looked at the phone. His head rocked side to side as he weighed his options, then, grumbling, he grabbed it from the table and sent a text before pocketing it and walking back to the door. 

“So?” Rouge asked, sitting straighter on her chair and looking over the counter to watch him put his shoes back on, “What did you do?” 

“I said ‘sure.’”

Rouge’s laughter followed him the whole way back to the garage. 

A week later, Shadow was watching the mid-day traffic through the glass door of the Velvet Brew coffee house, playing with a loose thread on the couch.

Choosing to ignore the clock, he allowed himself to focus on the owner, Velvet, cleaning glasses halfway down the counter. The goat has his tongue out between his front teeth, lip occasionally curling in agitation, and Shadow wondered if maybe it was a particularly nasty stain on the inside of a mug or if the old man was lost in his thoughts again. There was a flash in the goat’s eyes, and Shadow watched as the angle of attack on the cup changed just as the muttering picked up. 

Shadow sighed, turning once more to an art piece hanging above the coffee bar. It was a strange thing, fish morphing into birds and back into fish, all in great looping circles that became a grid-striped sphere. It looked like an eye exam, and he was just bored enough to treat it as such. 

He had just started a second round of stress tests when the door opened with a jingle of copper bells and a deluge of sunlight. Shadow heard Velvet stop his incessant mumbling, and, squinting, he turned to face the door just as Amy entered, though it took him a moment to realize it was her. Whether that was due to the sunlight or the unfamiliar style of dress, he wasn’t sure, but there was no doubting who it was once she turned to look at him and give a little wave. 

“Hey,” she said, flopping down on the opposite side of the couch, “How are you?” 

Shadow raised a brow, “Fine...you?” 

Amy beamed, “Good to hear, and I’m doing well! What have you been up to?” 

He opened his mouth, then closed it, crossing his arms to drum his fingers on his elbows, “What did you want to talk to me about?” 

“Nothing really,” she shrugged, “I just wanted to catch up. Been a while since we actually talked.” 

“We never really talked in the first place.” 

“Well, maybe I want to start.” 

“Why?”

Amy’s smile faltered, “I...I dunno, it would just be nice to have a friend? For both of us?” 

“You have friends.”

“Yes, but-” 

“Talk to them.” 

She sighed, head drooping as she swallowed, “I...can’t talk to them about the things I talked with you about. That’s not to say I want to talk about that...stuff… but just-I don’t know, I’m sorry, I- It just-I just thought it might...be good.”

Shadow didn’t say anything for a moment. He just watched her, watched how her forehead wrinkled, how her ears lowered, how she played with some unseen thing in the pocket of her jacket. 

Finally, he mumbled, “You know, Rouge would be a better person than me.” 

She winced, then shrugged, “She’s always so put together. I don’t...want to drag my bullshit to her.” 

“What about the Sonic and his gang?” 

Amy actually laughed here, but it sounded hollow, “This might surprise you, but I don’t really talk regularly with anyone from that group other than Tails, and...he’s still a kid, at least, to me. Knuckles and I hang out a couple of times a year and I don’t want to bring the party down. Sonic and I chat...but...I think he just wants to pretend like none of it ever happened.” 

Shadow cocked his head, looking at her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to continue. When she didn’t, he sighed. 

“What do you want to drink?” he said, gesturing to the menu behind the counter, “I’m paying.” 

“You don’t have to.” 

Shadow didn’t say anything. Eventually, Amy rolled her eyes.

“What do you recommend?” 

Shadow shook his head, shrugging, “I don’t drink coffee.”

The look of incredulity she gave him was truly splendid, he had to admit. 

“Then why did you recommend this place?” she gesturing around them. 

“Rouge likes it. I trust her tastes.” 

“Shadow you could have-” 

“You said coffee or lunch,” he said, cutting her off with a wave of his hand, “I didn’t want to do lunch. You told me to pick, so I picked. Now, what do you want to drink?” 

Amy grumbled, but even as she shook her head, he noticed how the corners of her mouth curled and how the smile she was trying to hide glinted in her eyes right before she turned to look at the menu. 

“Peppermint chocolate mocca.” she said after a moment. 

Shadow nodded, getting up and walking to the counter to place their orders. After speaking with the old goat and paying, he turned his attention back to the strange fish and bird piece. ‘Special Zone No. 5’ was all the little placard underneath said. He pursed his lips. In comparison to the other landscape portraits and pictures of trees, it was impossible to not be drawn back to it again and again. 

It was better than thinking too deeply on what Amy had said. 

He went back to doing eye exercises until the owner pushed a large drink and a bowl of roasted coffee beans his way. Shadow pointedly ignored the look he got and instead just took the order back to the table. 

“Thank you,” Amy said, taking her drink and blowing on it. 

Shadow hummed in acknowledgment, but fell silent after that, letting the warmth of the bowl soak into his hands. 

“What did you get?” She said, leaning forward to look, “Coffee beans? You said you don’t like coffee.” 

Without a word, Shadow scooped a handful out of the bowl and tossed them into his mouth, chewing contently as he watched her face contort into an expression of pure disgust. 

“The fuck is wrong with you?” she finally whispered, leaning away and looking between the bowl and his face. 

Shadow snickered until the beans he was chewing went down the wrong pipe and he turned away, covering his mouth as he laughed and coughed in tandem. By the time he turned back to her, she was leaning towards him rather than way, holding out her drink. He shook his head, waving a hand as he cleared his throat, and she sat back into the couch once more. 

“Serves you right,” Amy said, smiling even as he nose wrinkled, “that’s so fucking gross.” 

“They’re not that bad.” 

“You said you didn’t like coffee!”

“I don’t drink coffee. I like the beans.” 

“You have no sense of taste then.” 

“Be grateful I live with Rouge,” he mumbled, grabbing another handful, “I use to just chew them and pour hot water into my mouth.” 

She laughed out loud at that, the bright sound ringing through the otherwise dim coffee shop. It was a nice thing to witness until she suddenly went sheepish and turned her face towards her coffee cup. 

“Whatever Velvet is doing behind me,” Shadow said, “ignore it.” 

“Is that the name of the owner?”

He nodded, and Amy hummed quietly, “He certainly has a look to him.” 

Shadow shrugged, then ate his second handful as Amy finally took a sip of her coffee. 

“Oh damn,” she mumbled, licking her lips, “This is really good. Rouge is right.” 

He nodded, falling into silence as he watching Amy take another sip and glance around the place. It was entertaining watching her get fixated on the fish and bird piece, watching as her face fell into a furrowed sort of look and her mouth twitched at the corner, one fingernail tapping a steady beat on the cup in her hands. 

It was...odd, how different she looked; the baggy sweatshirt with a red heart in the middle, the green skirt, the black jacket- not to mention combat boots and knit cap with its strange feathered pin. They did not equate to the Amy Rose he remembered.

Then again, the conversation he had last week with her didn’t exactly equate to the Amy Rose he remembered either. 

Evidently, he had never known her as well as he thought he did. 

But then why did she want to talk to him?

Even with that, in this moment, she looked comfortable, far more comfortable than he could remember ever seeing her. 

He didn’t know how to feel. 

Amy turned to face him then, mouth open as if to say something, then froze like a critter caught in headlights. Shadow blinked, gears whirling in his head before he gestured, mumbling, “I didn’t know you knit,” and then proceeded to stuff his mouth full of coffee beans again. 

“Oh,” she touched it, looking genuinely surprised, “I don’t. My roommate does.” 

Shadow didn’t say anything, and she continued, “I live with two friends. We’re over in Spring Yard. It’s a nice place, and we’re on the top floor so the roof is basically ours. We’ll, okay, not really, but we use it. And- and we get a nice view of the bay, if you squint. Most times in the morning it’s foggy but the sunlight hitting fog is really pretty too, when you’re not trying to drive in it. Sometimes- well, I haven’t done this, but Genie, one of my roommates, she’s done this- she charged strangers looking to see the fireworks access to the roof. We paid our rent in one go that night, apparently.”

She chuckled then, taking a sip of her coffee. Shadow glanced at the time.

“I’m boring you, aren’t I?” Amy asked, softly. 

“No.” 

It came out harder than intended. Amy flinched, the cup in her hands jerking and spilling onto the couch. Shadow took a napkin from the table and handed it to her. She didn’t look up. 

“You’re not boring me,” he said. When she paused, he hesitated, but continued, “I feel that we’re wasting time because you’re not telling me what you want.” 

Amy stopped blotting the stain, and Shadow watched as her fingers started to worry holes into the paper. 

“I told you,” she mumbled, “I’m just looking for a friend who gets it.” 

“You have friends. You even live with some of them.” 

Amy looked up at him then, and for a flash, he saw that distant look. 

“They were civilians,” she said quietly, “And nobody else wants to talk about it, but...but I have to. And… I think maybe you do too.” 

Shadow chewed the inside of his lip, meeting that gaze for what felt like eternity before he finally looked away. 

He took a deep breath and weighed his options once more. 

There was still time to change his mind.

There was still time to say no.

“Alright,” he mumbled.

“Really?” 

He heard her smile rather than saw it. Gritting his teeth, he nodded.

“Would you...would you...maybe also want to go to therapy with-” 

Shadow’s head snapped up, “Hell no.” 

Amy chuckled, and Shadow noticed that the tension seemed to be gone from her shoulders, how her smile seemed to return to its natural state. 

“I figured,” she giggled, “Pushed my luck enough, but I had to try. And I will try again, you know.” 

Shadow rolled his eyes, shaking his head as her chuckles turned into full-bodied laughter.

He didn’t talk much for the rest of the hour they were there. Amy was a walking one-sided conversation, but, he had to admit, it was actually rather pleasant. She had a certain energy and method of speech that just sort of carried a person through a conversation, so he laid back and let it carry him. 

A nod was enough, a face, enough, a gesture, enough. She got the point and kept talking. 

Amy went on about her roommates and other different little things, like the streets of her neighborhood in snow, like the tugboats in the distance at midnight, like the overheard conversations of her neighbors all around as they lived their little lives.

They were the inconsequential things that painted the world around her and helped him understand, things that somehow she held as so, so important.

So he listened.

Rouge was right. It wasn’t hard to have a conversation Amy, even if you never spoke. 

He had forgotten that. 

By the time they parted ways, they already had a plan to meet up next week. Shadow watched her walk down the street with a spring in her step that he hadn’t seen in ages. It was only when she finally turned the corner that he let go of the breath he didn’t realize he was holding, recognizing the feeling stirring in his stomach. 

It was unease. 

He should not have agreed to this.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can't keep playing with this chapter it is OVER 3,000 words long and there's still a huge chunk that I couldn't fit in here.
> 
> Gonna just go on the next one I guess.
> 
> Shadow was interesting to write in this chapter because normally, his face and body language put an edge on everything he says, and without that, it seemed really strange and out of character. If you listen to his voice though in the older games (a little bit in Forces but not as much) it just sounds really soft? And there's a faint rasp to it so it almost has a fluffy quality? I don't know. His voice actor did justice, and it really showed the duality of him in the early days (which was the goal but whatever Sega you do you I guess, with your calls on canon that I'm just going to ignore) 
> 
> David Humphrey really did him well. Take a moment to just take it in.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwMZQhL7p1c  
> Best Shadow voice. Hands down. Wish they'd bring him back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Olive belongs to Mellow Elbow -  
> https://mellow-elbow.tumblr.com/
> 
> The Sonicverse doesn't seem to have a name for the content and country that would be equivalent to India so I went with Putli. In looking at how they named the other countries/continents, this is how I came to that name. 
> 
> Kathputli- Kathputli is a string puppet theatre, native to Rajasthan, India, and is the most popular form of Indian puppetry. 
> 
> So... Putli is the area, Putlia is anything associated with that area. They're basically ordering Indian food in this scene. I don't know why I cared so much to work that in, but I did...so there you go. 
> 
> Also- I guess you could say that I've pegged 'Times are Hard for Dreamers' as Amy's theme song in my brain. It has nice uplifting bits as well as sad parts that I think balance it out.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuZQp_IDBa4
> 
> Also, you should totally check out Kathputli puppetry- it's amazing.

“Hey, we need you in the field today.” 

Amy blinked bleary eyes, trying to focus on the human figure by the door who she swore was her boss but, honestly, couldn’t be sure. 

“This request isn’t done,” she said, yawning as she did so and taking a moment to stretch. 

The figure waved a hand, “Ernie can do it. I need you at Aqua Lake. Seems like there’s an issue with zoning.”

Amy sighed, pushing away from her desk and letting her chair roll towards the center of the room as she stood, cracking her hips, “Yeah, alright. Set me up with transport and I’ll be right over. Who’s my contact?” 

“Olive’s overseeing today, so head to her first.” 

“Awesome, that makes this a lot easier.” 

Her boss tossed two warp rings, which Amy caught. Without saying another word, she grabbed her jacket and made her way to the parking lot. At the back, near the trucks, there was a designated space for warp transport, where Amy activated the ring. She yawned again as her quills blew back and shivered, wrapping her coat tighter around her as she stepped through. 

As the transport ring closed behind her, she breathed in the smell of evergreens and lake water. On all sides she was surrounded by morning mist. The faintest glow of dawn was starting to spread, and Amy placed her hands in her pockets as she looked around at the distant mountains, almost purple in this early sunlight. The wild birds were singing even at this time of morning. Echos of their song bounced around the valley creating a cacophony of sound. 

Amy allowed her head to loll back as she listened, eyes closed.

This was the good stuff. This was the sort of thing that made waking up worth it. If she could have this every day, she’d be a totally different person.

If it hadn’t been so fucking expensive, she would never have moved away.

Then again, she also would never met Lorie and Genie. For a moment, it felt like ice dripped down her spine, and she shook herself to be rid of the feeling. If living in the city was the price to pay for knowing them, then you know what? That was a fair price.

She’d seen too many lonely futures. Having those two by her side now, she could never imagine going forward without them. 

With a sigh, she started down the gravel road through the trees, whose very tops were starting to catch the sunlight that made its way into the valley. A wild squirrel took a mad dash from one tree to another, it’s tiny body stretching as it jumped the gap over the walkway, catching a branch by only the smallest of margins. It was impossible not to smile. 

Eventually though, the trees thinned, and she came to a clearing that stretched for leagues until it finally hit the waterline of Aqua Lake. It had been blocked into a grid pattern, each grid prickling with young plant life and populated by volunteers. Closer to the lake, however, you could see the fragments of ancient structures, their jagged edges pockmarked by red flags and caution signs. In the distance, Amy could see the waterfalls that fed into the lake, sparkling as they caught the sun and ran roaring down the mountainface. 

Her smile turned into a full grin as she looked around her, taking in another deep breath before heading down the small hill. 

She didn’t get very fair. 

“Hey, Amy!” 

Amy turned towards the familiar voice, and waved as she saw the red panda stepping over a strip of yellow tape. 

“Hi Olive! So, what’s going on? What did you need me for?” 

Olive paused, blinking slowly, “Are you here for the supply refill, the newspaper debacle, the midden, or the ducks?” 

Amy whistled, “Oh, busy day?” 

“Very.” 

“...Ducks?”

“Don’t ask.” 

“Oh. I-I’m here to help with zoning.” 

Olive sighed, “Thank goodness, I was worried they’d send Bonnie again. Follow me!” 

She gestured down the path, towards the lake, and the two walked in step. Amy watched a set of volunteers plant a particularly fat fur tree as Olive filled her in. 

“We ran into a midden. Not entirely sure what’s there, but in and amongst the stuff we found what looks to be some bones.” 

Amy whipped around and Olive shook her head. 

“Waste bones, old, from animals that were cooked.” 

“Oh,” Amy’s face brightened even as she coached her heart back into its normal rhythm, “Nice, okay.” 

“Yeah, until the Metropolize News Zone somehow heard about it and I’m sure you can imagine the headlines from there.” 

They turned right down a path between the checkered plots towards the treeline as Amy winced, hissing through her teeth, “I am so sorry.” 

Olive shook her head, “Anyway, the reason we need you here is we really would appreciate you to take a look at the site and help with the documentation and paperwork necessary to block this section off for now. Plus, we’re not sure if it can help with maybe just going for a funding program versus fighting for all these grants.”

“That would be nice. I miss being out here.” 

“Trust me, we miss you too,” Olive smiled, “Anyway, we’ve got some time before we get to the site. How are you? How’ve you been?” 

“Pretty okay,” Amy said. Even as she thumbed the cards in her pocket, she was surprised to realize she wasn’t actually lying. For a moment, her heart flared as she continued, “You know, just doing whatever. You?” 

Olive hummed quietly, nodding. It was a moment before she responded, but eventually, she turned to face Amy as she said, “I met up with some of the other resistors at a pub in Metropolize. We had a get together last week for Armistice day. It was good.” 

Amy blinked, “Oh...really?” 

Olive nodded again.

“I...how many of you guys went?” 

She shrugged, “You know, Mighty, Gadget, Tails-” 

“Tails was there?” 

Olive looked at her then, brow furrowed, “Yeah? Sonic too, a few of the others- I thought you knew we were doing this?” 

Amy gripped the cards in her pocket, feeling the edges dig into the undersides of her knuckles, “No, I didn’t have any idea.” 

“Oh...well,” Olive shrugged, smiling, “Well… well it was kinda last minute. We’re talking about doing it again, and you’re more than welcome to come. It’s kinda a standing open invitation to anybody, really.” 

Amy squeezed the deck one last time, before slowly relinquishing her grip, shoulders relaxing as she returned the smile,“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Olive and Amy eventually made it to the midden, the ancient dump having been roped off with so much yellow tape and red flags that it was a wonder anyone could go near the site. With a final goodbye, Amy was left to her own devices as she took notes and talked with archaeologists and anthropologists working nearby. Eventually, task completed, she gave a little wave as she left the site and made her way back up the hill. 

The sun was setting then, the birds returning to their nests. A livid and burning orange had overtaken the blue of day as the clouds drifted in overtop the mountains. 

Amy thumbed her deck of tarot cards in her pocket the whole way back to her office, still smiling, still pleasant. 

It wasn’t until she was on the bus home that her face finally fell. 

Her head lolled against the window as she pulled out her phone. A slew of notifications cluttered her lock screen, and one by one, she discarded them. 

Amy put the phone back in one pocket as she took her cards out of the other. Shuffling them aimlessly, she watched the lights of the city flicker and turn on in the readily approaching dusk and wondered dully what the fuck was wrong with her. 

Flipping over the top card of the deck, she was greeted with the two of wands, reversed. 

Amy grumbled, shuffling the cards for a moment before yanking her phone back out of her pocket. She checked the group chat with Loraine and Genie, and there was nothing. 

With a sigh, she continued shuffling, looking out the window as she did. What did it mean to be overconfident and undetermined? Stunted and blocked, yes, she got that, she understood that. These past few years, she’d spent running at breakneck pace while never leaving where she was. It wasn’t even that she was going in circles, it just felt like she never moved. There was no progress. There was no change. 

But...overconfident? 

She didn’t want help, Amy thought dully, chewing her thumbtip as she looked at the deck. She didn't want help and she was too stubborn to admit...maybe she did need it. 

But she was going to therapy, she wasn’t isolating herself again. She tried to stay in contact with people and it was just that they didn’t want to stay in contact with her. So she made some new friends, and wasn’t it reasonable to not want to drag them too far down into her own bullshit? That was normal, right? 

She was invited to go to this thing. Why did she hate the fact that they forgot to tell her in the first place, and yet, why did she hate the idea of going now that she knew? She wanted to be with the old crowd, to be with people that understood, but the thought of seeing them just made her feel...sick. 

And was it that everyone else just didn’t want to stay in contact, or was it that they had moved on and she hadn’t? 

And what of Cream? Had she even tried to reach out? 

Her stomach churned as she remembered Cream and Vanilla’s faces the last time she saw them. 

Amy grit her teeth and began to shuffle her cards again. Alright, she thought bitterly, alright. What needs to be done? What is the solution then? 

She flipped the top card and got the hanged man. Upright. Sacrifice, release, new perspective, surrender. 

Amy cursed quietly, shoving the card back into the deck and turning to face the window. She hated that card. She always got that card and she hated it.

She knew why it kept coming up, but still. 

It was only when her phone buzzed that she looked down. 

Loraine’s text read, ‘We’re ordering food tonight. Putlia or Pizza? It’s a split vote.’

‘Putlia,’ she texted back without hesitation, adding a smiley face with its tongue sticking out. 

‘Putlia it is. The usual?’ 

‘Yes please!’

Amy was about to put her phone down when she paused, then opened up her conversations. There, from a little over a week ago, were the handful of messages she and Shadow had swapped back and forth. 

She hesitated, then, before she could change her mind, typed, ‘Hey, how are you?’ and hit send. 

Amy flipped the phone screen down and placed it, if a bit forcefully, on her thigh. Her nails drummed against the back of the case as she took slow and deep breaths. 

It’s not a crime to reach out, she thought, it’s not a crime to talk to people. You don’t have to talk about what’s bothering you, but you need to talk to someone. 

Besides, surrender, right? Gain a new perspective, surrender the old. You couldn’t tell her she wasn’t trying. 

Amy was about to rest her head against the window again when her phone started to ring. Startled, she tried to pick it up, almost dropped it, and played a risky game of trying to catch it mid air while everyone on the bus seemed to be watching. Finally, she had a good hold of it, though looking at the screen didn’t provide any answers. She didn’t know this number. 

“Hello?” Amy said, phone pressed to her ear as she tried to make herself as small as possible in her seat. 

“What’s wrong?” 

She blinked, her eyes wide, “Nothing’s wrong, Shadow, I’m fine…” 

“Then why did you text me?”

“...To chat?” 

There was nothing on the other end but the faint sound of club music, and Amy fought back a laugh as she continued, “I just hadn’t talked to you in a while and figured I’d text to say hi. Where even are you? What number are you calling from?” 

“...There’s a payphone in the casino downstairs. I’m calling you from that.” 

“Why not just use your cellphone?” 

“It’s a work phone.” 

Amy could practically hear him grinding his teeth as he spoke. She rolled her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before and give me your personal number?” 

“I don’t have one.” 

“Oh,” the smile began to slip from her face, “Oh...I uh- I didn’t- I can stop texting-” 

“It’s fine.” 

There was a pause. She chewed on the tip of her thumb. What did she say? What was she supposed to do?

Why was he so much fucking easier to talk to in person, and then as soon as you get this dumbass on the phone-

“I-” Shadow paused, and Amy ceased her chewing for a moment, waiting until he continued, “You can message me, it’s fine. Just... no long conversations.” 

“But...you’re okay with using the payphone in the casino? That’s okay?” 

“Yes.” 

“Why?” 

“It’s not a work phone.” 

Amy sighed, surprised to find herself smiling as she said, “Alright, if you’re okay with it, I guess.” 

There was a pause again. It was weird, talking to him this way. Aggravating as hell, absolutely, but also...She couldn’t put her finger on it. His face was always so sour but, when you just listened to his voice, it was strangely soft. It took the edge away from everything he said. 

She never noticed that before. Then again, she never had reason to talk to him outside of being face to face. 

Amy watched as the bus stopped and let a man and two children on while an older woman and a kid with a skateboard got off. 

“So...what did you want?” 

“Just to see how you were,” Amy shook her head, “Just to say hi. You know, like normal people do?”

“Oh,” she heard him clear his throat, “Well...hello. I’m fine. How...are you?” 

Amy covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle a laugh, even while she heard Shadow give an agitated huff on the other end of the line.

“What?” he said, his tone biting.

“You’re just funny,” Amy chuckled, “You’re just… Honestly, I don’t know how I expected this to go any other way. You’re just very you, alright? And sometimes, that’s funny, so I’m going to laugh. That’s just the way it is.” 

She could hear him grumbling, and she smiled. 

“I’m doing well,” she said, placing a hand against the glass of the window as she watched the evening lights come on, “Just coming home from work. Still not used to it being so dark so quickly. Um-” 

Amy’s face scrunched and mouth open as she weighed her words. 

Surrender.

She swallowed. 

New perspective. 

Bitch, stop stalling. 

“I was out in the field today, for work. Aqua Lake, right? Beautiful to see in the morning, great way to start the day. Find out from one of my coworkers though that I guess a bunch of resistance members got together for a pint. Sonic, Tails, some of the others… Guess they’re going to be making it a regular thing. I didn’t know if you heard about it.”

There was a long pause. In the background of the call, she could hear the beat of the music, the hum of conversation. It seemed so loud until Shadow finally spoke. 

“No,” his tone was low. For a moment, Amy wondered if she made him upset, until he continued, “But I can’t say that such an arrangement sounds… enticing.” 

She snorted, clapping a hand over her mouth as she looked across the aisle to a pig that was sitting there and giving her a dirty look. 

“Should have known you would say that,” she mumbled, checking all her pockets, making sure she wasn’t leaving anything behind as she readied herself for her stop. 

“Do you want to go?” 

Amy inhaled sharply, teeth clenching. “I-...don’t know.” 

She got off the bus, and all the while he said nothing. As it pulled away, she looked towards her apartment and started the walk home with a sigh. “Part of me wants to, and part of me doesn’t. I think... I think it’s one of those things where in my head, it’s so much better or worse than it could actually be, and I’m nervous about finding out either way. I also don’t know exactly who would be there, and I feel like asking ahead of time isn’t polite.” 

“Do you need me to go with you?” 

Amy almost tripped over her own feet. 

“What?” 

“Do you need-” 

“I heard what you said, I mean- I just-... you don’t do that kind of thing.” 

“What kind of thing?” 

“I mean,” Amy hesitated, “...people. Particularly if Sonic is one of them, and I just told you, he may be there.” 

She heard Shadow huff, “I can handle it.” 

“But why would you want to go?” 

“I don’t,” he said, and the edge in his voice made her wince until he continued, “But if you need help, then I’ll be there.” 

Amy’s mouth fell open, then she swallowed against the tightness in her throat, “You...don’t have to.” 

“You reached out to me and asked for help. If this qualifies helping, then let me do it.” 

She pursed her lips, nodding. Why did she feel like she was going to cry? What the fuck? She swallowed again, taking a shaking breath as she softly murmured, “Thanks.”

“...Are you sure you’re alright?” 

“You know what?” she said, chucking as she walked up the front stairs to her apartment building, “I’m...surprisingly a lot better than when we started this call. Thanks, Shadow. I’ll...I’ll let you know if I need to take you up on your offer.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ho boy here we go. 
> 
> I promise the next chapter will be a lot happier. 
> 
> Also, every time ch1 is referenced, this is what I hear  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S864OIsQpXY&list=PLK38oLgEEhvC9rwMr1PrS95gG5ZvpeBSy&index=14
> 
> (If you see a typo please tell me. I've got like three spellchecks going and I still miss things.)
> 
> Also, my friend is working in an original piece. They're a brilliant mind and they're posting their draft as they go. I highly suggest you check put their work if you like magic, mayhem, romance, and alien hijinks.  
> https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/248094704-a-bookshop-a-few-witches-some-aliens-and-the-world

Shadow hung up the phone. He stood still for a moment before slowly rocking back on his heels and allowing himself to slump against the back wall of the phone booth with a sigh. For a while, he hid there, staring at nothing, letting the rumble of the music that shook through the booth, through his spine, ground him.

Eventually though, he had to leave. 

Pulling aside the curtain that separated the payphone from the rest of the casino, he made his way back to the front door, turning his earpiece on as he did so. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled. 

“No problem, honey,” Rouge’s voice sounded sickly sweet, and Shadow grimaced as she continued, “How’s Amy?” 

“Fine.” 

“You’re not going to share anything else?” 

“No.” 

“Rude. Omega, back me up.” 

There was a small beep as Omega switched channels and joined the conversation, “Negative. Based on current data, Shadow has not done anything by current local standards that would be considered, ‘rude.’ Is an update needed?”

Rouge’s voice practically dripped with smugness, “Yes. Not sharing information is rude. Please update and add that to your running definition of ‘rude.’” 

If a robot could hum, Shadow thought, it would be when the processor fan sounds like a helicopter, which at that moment was all he could hear until Omega finally said, “Negative. Such an update will clash with that which is considered ‘privacy.’ I cannot complete this request.” 

Shadow smirked. 

“You two are impossible, forget this.” Rouge sighed, “Shadow, are you at the door yet?” 

He huffed as he leaned against the frame, pushing the door back just a little so he could get some fresh air. “Yes.” 

“Omega, how does the floor look?” 

“No suspicious activities.” 

“Run the checklist for me, would you, big guy?” 

“Slot machines are running at 100%. Card dealers are running at 100%. Cash machines are running at 100%. Cameras are running at 90—.”

Shadow cut in, “Why are cameras running only at 90?” 

“Rouge has yet to replace the camera in front of the washrooms from yesterday.”

“It’s been a bit difficult to find one that can’t get hacked into again,” Rouge muttered, voice dark, “But even if that bastard tries again, we should be able to get them in the act. In the meantime, Shadow, you can see the washrooms from the front door though, correct?”

“Yes.” 

“And how does it look?” 

“Everything is clear from here,” he said. 

“Excellent. Thank you, Omega! And are you feeling okay? Need any more ice packs or coolant? This is your first time hooked into all the extra security, and I know you already run warm.”

“Negative.” Again, there was the uptick in the whirl of the processor fan until Omega continued, “However, a freezer chest may serve our purposes better.” 

Shadow’s face slowly split into a smile.

“You...uh,” Rouge paused, the sound of rustling coming from on her end for a moment, “You want a freezer chest? Why?” 

“To sit in.” 

Shadow grinned ear to ear. On the other end of the line, it sounded like Rouge took to coughing to cover her laughter. 

“You know what?” she said, voice cracking ever so slightly, “Let’s get our next paycheque and we can look into some.” 

“Thank you, Rouge.” 

“My pleasure, Omega.” 

“There is a second query, Rouge.”

“What is it, darling?” 

“Do I have permission to override normal procedures and delete the recording of Shadow’s phone call from the collection of in-house recordings, as it invalidates the concept of his ‘privacy’ that we were just discussing?”

Shadow froze. He didn’t need to see Rouge to know she was smiling. 

\----

“You always arrive at the perfect time, I swear.” 

Amy smiled at Loraine as she shut the door behind her, shedding her coat. “One of my many talents.” 

“Yeah, well, can you share that with Genie? It may just be you and me tonight if she doesn’t get her ass out of her room.” 

“What’s she working on?” 

Lorraine huffed, rolling her eyes as she tore open the takeaway bag and began to organize the food on the coffee table in the living room, “What else?” 

Amy chuckled, “Are we her test subjects tonight?” 

“Better be, if she’s going to keep us waiting.” 

Almost as if on cue, the door to what once had been Genie’s bedroom flew open with a bang. Amy jumped as Loraine turned around with her hands on her hips. 

“Two for two on timeliness, but you’re lucky,” she grumbled. 

Genie only gave a giddy little giggle in reply, shuffling down the hallway with a mortar and pestle held in front of her only to fall face-first onto the couch, mortar-arm still outstretched. “Amy...Amy get The Flicky.” 

Amy blinked, eyes wide as she looked at Loraine. “Special occasion?” she asked, loud and slow as she looked back over to Genie. 

Genie just kept giggling. Amy gave a low whistle as she took her jacket and made her way back to her bedroom, listening with half an ear as Loraine tried to arrange Genie into a more comfortable position on the couch. By the time she returned, she held a bong that had been decorated to look like a common backyard variety of flicky, and Genie had been propped up between the arm of the couch and a small pile of pillows. Loraine meanwhile was sitting on the ground with the mortar, gently prodding the contents with the butt end of her plastic fork. 

“If there are shrooms in it again, I’m out,” Amy said, fervently shaking her head. 

“Doesn’t smell or look like it,” mumbled Loraine before she turned to her girlfriend. “Genie? Genie love, what’s in this? What did you make this time?” 

Genie’s smile split into a toothy grin, “‘Little bit of cacao and a little bit of Canyon Gold. That’s all. Simple is best...um...best practice.” She nestled down into her comfy cloister as she continued, “Method to opening doors to the soul, or the world...and giving someone the energy to explore those doors. Prepare for a ride tonight, because we’re going places. Discovery abound. And it tastes delightful.”

She lifted her arms, hands making a grabbing motion. Loraine handed her the Putlia she had requested and smiled when Genie gave a soft, ‘yes’. Amy took her own plate of food from the table as Loraine prepared the bowl.

In a voice smooth as glass, and without looking up, Loraine said, “I guess tonight’s a good time to ask about that person you’ve been talking to then, huh Amy.” 

Amy bit down on her fork so hard, a prong broke off. 

\---

“Shadow, for the last time, every call in and out on that phone gets recorded.” 

“Delete it.” 

Rouge threw her hands up, finally spinning around in her chair to look at him. The room was lit by nothing more than the monitors on the wall behind her, showing Club Rouge from the various camera perches. Even in the blue glow, he could see the angry flush creeping up her neck, the vein in her temple throbbing. 

“Why does it matter that much to you? Oh my god, you’re making it sound like we caught you committing treason!” 

“Delete the call.” 

“For- ugh-!” she held a hand to her earpiece, “Omega! Delete the recording!”

With a soft click, Omega’s voice came through. “This goes against standard-” 

“I know, I know, but just so we have some peace, can you please scrub it? And the written transcript too, for good measure. Everything else stays.” 

The whirl of his fan was so loud, Shadow could hear it from Rouge’s earpiece as well as his own. The two locked eyes and held each other's gaze, unblinking, furious as they waited. 

“Deletion complete.” 

“Thank you. As you were.” 

Shadow turned to leave, but as he did so, Rouge caught his arm. 

“No. Sit down. You and I need to have a chat.” 

He shrugged out of her grip, “I need to be at the door.” 

“Other cameras are close enough to the washroom that it’ll be fine for about fifteen minutes. Sit down.” 

Shadow looked at her out of the corner of his eye, fists clenched, before he gave in with a sigh. Pulling over a second wheeled chair, he sat, and Rouge followed suit. 

“Ever since you came back from that little get-together with Amy you’ve been a cagey git.” 

Shadow raised an eyebrow, “More than usual?” 

“Stop that,” Shadow saw a flash of a smile in her eyes, but it was gone as she continued, “I’m worried about you. I know you say you’re fine but clearly something is wrong. Now you don’t have to tell me everything but… at least some indication that you’ve got whatever it is under control would be good.” 

Shadow stayed silent, studying her face and the harsh shadows cast across it from the monitors. With a huff, he shut his eyes and crossed his arms. His thumbs dug into the soft flesh of his elbows. 

“We talked out on the balcony on Armistice day, at the Victory Gala. You are aware of this.” 

Rouge’s chair creaked as she leaned towards him. “Was she okay?”

“No.” 

“Is she okay now?” 

“I don’t believe so. She thinks that she is, but I have my doubts.” 

Rouge sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. 

“What happened?” 

\---

Loraine tipped her head back and sighed, smoke billowing towards the ceiling. For a moment, she sat there, watching it, until she clicked her tongue and looked back at Amy. “So it’s not a thing?” 

“Totally not a thing,” Amy mumbled through a mouth of food, “Never assume this is going to be a thing.” 

“That’s what you said about the um...the...fuck, uh,” Genie pressed the heel of her hand into her forehead and sighed, “The chick at the coffee shop that you don’t go to anymore.” 

Loraine nodded. “You also said it about the general manager at the grocers down the way. You don’t go there anymore either.” 

“That one guy at the pub we used to frequent.” 

“Sam, at my old job.” 

“The person you use to take your computer to.” 

“Shut up,” Amy whined, “Just give it here and shut up, please.” 

Genie and Loraine shared a look, and Amy slapped her hand on the coffee table, “You guys, I’m allowed to have a crush now and again, okay? Don’t hold it against me. This guy is strictly a friend, someone I knew from before. We just haven’t talked in a while.” 

“Tell us their name then,” Genie said with a lopsided smile. 

“Yeah,” Loraine’s eyes lit up as she nodded and looked between Genie and Amy, “What is their name? I wanna know!” 

Amy groaned dramatically, reaching out and making a grabbing motion, “His name is Shadow, alright? Hand it over.” 

“Shadow?” Loraine had the face of someone who had eaten something sour as she handed the bong to Amy, “What kind of name is that? Can’t be real.” 

“Trust me, it is.” 

“Well, if he helps you get over Sonic, he’s good in my book.” 

Amy shot Loraine a glare as she took her hit, and Loraine laughed, “I’m just saying. I mapped out everyone’s charts for next year and I’m telling you, something’s coming your way. It’s looking pretty gooood. Pretty spiiiicyyy.” 

Amy blew the smoke right at her and laughed even as she coughed. “Well, whatever it is, it’s not going to have anything to do with him.” 

There was a quiet groan, and Amy turned to find Genie buried in her phone, her twisted expression lit by the blue glow of the screen as she scrolled furiously. Loraine sat up on her knees and shuffled over. 

“Genie, love, is something wrong?” she mumbled, placing one hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder and brushing her hair back with the other.

Genie looked at her, then looked at Amy. It struck Amy then, the name for the face her friend was making. 

Horrified. 

“Not this guy,” Genie mumbled, pleading, as she turned the phone to face Amy. “You’ve got to be joking…”

The article was from years ago, the picture grainy, but Amy’s heart sunk as she read the headline: Project Shadow Unleashed, Almost Destroys Planet. 

\---

Rouge sighed as she sat back in her chair. Shadow watched as she stared at the ceiling, rocking the chair side to side as she took measured breaths. Eventually, she shook her head and sat back up. 

“Well,” she mumbled, “...well there’s that then.” 

Shadow swallowed, saying nothing. 

“You were right. I will reach out to her more,” she mumbled, “But… you weren’t okay before the Gala. Yeah, there’s a lot going on with her, from what you told me, but what’s going on with-” 

“This is everything I’m willing to tell you, and you said it was enough.” 

“Shadow—.” 

“Stop,” he took a deep breath, crossing his arms tighter and clenching his elbows to stop the shaking of his hands, “I’m fine, I promise.” 

“You’re clearly not though, because whatever conversation you had with her made you end up feeling a lot worse.” 

Shadow chewed the inside of his lip, his heart in his throat as he weighed his options. When he opened his mouth to speak, however, he paused.

Rouge had the face of a person on a warpath. He had carefully minced his words up until this point, but knew better than to lie, particularly to that face. 

With a sigh, Shadow mumbled, “I worry I’m going to fail her.” 

“What does that mean?” 

“It means I can’t keep her safe. It means I’m concerned about not being able to keep her... alive.” 

“Oh,” Rouge reached out, placing her hands over his as she rolled her chair closer, “No, Shadow, no, she didn’t ask you to keep her alive. She just asked for a friend to talk to.” 

He shut his eyes, he couldn’t look at her as he kept speaking, “If I mess this up, what is she going to do?” 

“You can’t mess this up because there is nothing you can mess up.” 

“But—” 

“Shadow, I’ve been your friend for years, and you’re the most loyal, the most considerate, the most thoughtful—” 

“Stop.” 

“No!” 

“Rouge, you weren’t there.” 

“That doesn’t matter. She didn’t ask you to keep her alive.” Rouge shook him gently, “What she asked for is a friend, and thankfully, she turned to the right person, because it sounds like she doesn’t have a lot of people in her corner. Now, look at me.” 

Gritting his teeth, Shadow opened his eyes. Rouge’s face was drawn tight, brow furrowed, her mouth a hard line. 

“You’re a good person, Shadow, you and Omega. You are loyal, you are dependable, you are so many things. I’m lucky to call you both friends. You can’t fail because there’s no way in hell you’d ever do anything to hurt her anyway.” She leaned in further, bowing her head ever so slightly even as she kept eye contact. “And I think she has a point. You need a friend too, someone other than Omega and I, to talk to. If you can’t do this though, you need to tell her.” 

“I can do it.” 

“Are you sure?” 

Shadow gave a slow nod even as he chewed on the inside of his lip, even as he wanted to look away so very badly. Thankfully, with a sigh, Rouge sat back up in her seat. She looked towards the monitors, though it was clear her mind was elsewhere as she drug a hand down her face, thumb and finger pressing into the corners of her mouth. 

“I could come with you sometime,” she said after a moment, “If you want, if that helps.” 

Shadow slowly relaxed his grip on his elbows, taking a slow breath before he mumbled, “I would appreciate that.” 

Rouge looked at him out of the corner of her eye, the faintest smile flickering across her face. “Alright, then it’s a plan.” 

\---

Genie was on her feet, fists balled at her sides as she yelled, “People don’t just ‘change’ out of the blue, Amy!”

“I didn’t say that!” Amy, too, was on her feet, roaring back, “It wasn’t out of nowhere! He worked hard! It wasn’t even his fault!” 

“Genie, Amy, please, sit down.” Loraine cast fearful looks between the two of them from her position on the floor. 

Genie threw her hands into the air, “How the fuck was it not his fault! How can you defend him?”

“Someone fucked around and gave him brain damage to make him do it!” 

“Yeah? Real cute excuse. And what about every other time after that?” 

“Okay, bitch, what part of brain damage—!”

“Amy, please—” Loraine’s eyes were wide. She kept tugging at Genie’s pant leg, but to no avail. 

“Every time he sided with Eggman? Are you serious?” 

“That was a cover for his job!” 

“And what’s his job then?” 

“He’s a contractor with G.U.N!” 

“Great, so he’s also a scivey bastard then?” 

“Fuck you!” Amy grabbed her hair, fighting back tears as she stamped her foot as she screamed, “You have no fucking clue what we went through! This is why I don’t talk to you guys about this! I knew you’d be like this!” 

“Oh, so now—” 

“Both of you!” Loraine’s voice was shrill, and she shook as she looked between the two of them, “Shut the fuck up and sit down!” 

Genie flopped back onto the couch, fuming even as she reached down to take Loraine’s hand in hers. Amy, however, couldn’t move. She was shaking, staring into the carpet as she gasped for air and unable to stop the tears from falling. 

“Amy,” Loraine sighed, “Amy please, we might not have understood but you could have always talked to us.” 

“No,” Amy’s voice was a broken whisper, “I couldn’t. There are just something you guys won’t get.” 

“Try us,” snapped Genie. 

“Seriously,” Loraine added, “Please, just talk to us. Even if we don’t get it.” 

Amy wiped her eyes, breath shallow. She looked up at her friends and felt her heart clench. Swallowing, she looked back at the carpet. 

“I was a child,” she shuddered, “8 years old and so fucking stupid. Everyone else was joining the fight so I thought I would too. When I was 12, I was part of Sonic and his crew. Knuckles, Tails, we were all kids. We had nowhere else to go, and we just wanted to help. We went through so much shit. That article you pulled up? We were there. I was on that space station. We all almost died...so many times.” 

Amy shook for a moment until she placed her hands over her eyes, taking measured breaths to keep her heart from trying to claw its way out of her throat. “And I don’t just mean us, the crew, I mean everyone. The whole planet could have been gone. We got older. It was everywhere, you couldn’t run. There were days we didn’t sleep, didn’t eat. So many people I knew…I’m sorry-” 

Her knees buckled. She stood there, hunched, tears streaming around her hands, down her cheeks, “I’m sorry— you can be angry, but he was there too. He knows. He remembers. I sound like a broken record but I’m so tired of people pretending like it didn’t happen, even my friends...I’m sorry— I can’t—” 

She couldn’t breathe. Her mouth was open, teeth bared as a broken whine escaped her, but she couldn’t get air in— she couldn’t breathe— her chest was collapsing— she couldn’t breathe— 

A set of arms encircled her, and then another. 

Nobody spoke. Amy cried until she was hoarse.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I LIVE, BITCH! 
> 
> AND I COME WITH TWO CHAPTERS BECAUSE I PROMISED SOMEONE GOOD TIMES FOR 6 AND 6 ENDED UP TOO LONG SO IT GOT ROLLED INTO 7 AND NOW 7 IS SUPER LONG AND THE REST OF THE FEEL-GOODS WILL COME IN 8.
> 
> My deepest thanks, respects, and accolades for the following champions of the hour, who looked over this and help make it squeaky-clean:  
> BiolizardBoils ( https://biolizardboils.tumblr.com/ )  
> Mellow-Elbow ( https://mellow-elbow.tumblr.com/ )  
> MySuperLaserPiss ( https://mysuperlaserpiss.tumblr.com/ )  
> ShadamySomeday ( https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadamySomeday/pseuds/ShadamySomeday )
> 
> HERE WE GO

Amy checked the map on her phone as she walked, making note of the left turn coming up before putting her phone back in her pocket with a sigh. 

It really was a beautiful, perfect autumn day. 

The misting rain dripped from her umbrella and cast New Babylon in a silver fog. All of the leaves glistened in such a way that made them seem like they were cast from precious metals, and all of the clouds had that soft pearlessence look to them. Even the traffic lights shone like jewels, and Amy satisfied herself with imagining herself passing through a gap in the string of diamonds and rubies currently rushing down the road. 

She checked her phone once she got to the other side of the road, then clicked her tongue as she lifted her umbrella to read the dark neon sign of Club Rouge. Amy reached into her pocket and gripped her cards. Slowly, she walked around the building, and as she reached the alley behind it, she saw the open door of a garage bay, exactly where Shadow said it would be. 

She smiled and stepped inside, shaking the rain from her umbrella as she eyed up a familiar pair of shoes poking out from under what she could only assume to be Rouge’s car. 

“Hey you,” Amy said as she walked over and tapped Shadow’s foot with her own, “How’s it looking down there?” 

There was a low groan, “Let’s say it would be better if Rouge didn’t hit so many potholes.” 

“Oh, well good luck with that in this city,” she laughed, pulling over a battered wooden stool from the corner. As she sat, she pulled her jacket tighter around her, hissing as a gust of wind blew through the garage and almost took her hat with it.

She leaned down calling under the car, “Aren’t you cold?” 

An outstretched arm appeared, covered in a weathered yellow sweatshirt sleeve, then retreated under the car again. 

“Ah,” Amy leaned back, “Well, that’s good. I’d imagine it would be nasty if your back was against the floor.” She put her chin in her hand, leaning forward on her knee, “I don’t think I ever saw you have an issue with temperature, though. Rouge makes you wear it, doesn’t she.” 

“Yes,” he reached down again, palm up, “Hand me the anti-seize, please. It’s the bottle on your left.” 

Amy turned to pick it up, then paused. “Shadow, that’s a new phone sitting on top of your toolbox.” 

“Yes.” 

“Did… did you buy—?”

“No, Rouge did.” 

Amy gave a low whistle, tilting her head to read the side of the box, “She gave this to you? Can’t believe you haven’t opened it yet.” 

“Be my guest.” 

“Seriously?” 

There was a small clang and a sigh, “Yes, but first, the anti-seize.” 

Amy nudged the bottle towards him with the toe of her boot while she reached and picked up the new phone. Tearing away the box, she marveled at it before pulling out the manual and turning the phone on. 

“Why’d she get this for you?” she said, smiling at the chime the phone made. 

“So I’d have a phone that wasn’t for work.” 

Amy laughed, “You really are a stickler about that, aren’t you? I mean, I guess it’s fair.” She breezed through the startup questions as she added, “I wouldn’t want my work email and my personal email mixing. It’s not the same, but I get it. Can I see it to put your contacts in here?” 

“No. Why?”

Amy pouted, “Because I’m setting up your phone for you, and if I can’t see your work phone, then all you’re going to get are the numbers that I know.” 

“I—” there was a moment’s pause, then, “That’s fine.” 

She rolled her eyes as she pulled out her own cell and scrolled through her contacts. Amy put her own number in first, obviously, then Rouge’s, but after that, she paused. 

Amy tapped a heel against the ground, glancing towards what she could see of Shadow before burying her face in the phones again. 

She plugged in the numbers to take-out restaurants she liked, typing in the notes food he may want to try. There were two museum information center numbers she added, the details on four libraries in the area, a good smoke shop, her favorite theatre. Amy kept adding numbers and places and things, not knowing if he’d like them and not comfortable enough to ask, but hoping maybe, like her, he would. 

Taking a deep breath, she finally started plugging in the contact information for Sonic and the rest of the team, in case he wanted to reach out. 

Maybe, unlike her, he could. 

For a while, the two of them stayed like that, Amy deep in concentration as she went between phones, Shadow occasionally asking for a tool or a paper towel. The soft sounds of mist and distant traffic filled the space between. 

It felt cozy. Perhaps that was a silly way to think about being in a cold garage while taking sporadic requests from an otherwise silent companion, but it worked. 

Contacts finished, Amy paused, looking towards what she could see of Shadow before she opened the camera. She smiled with her head cocked just so, flashing a peace sign at an angle she knew worked as she snapped a picture of herself. The sound of the fake shutter the phone made echoed through the garage. From under the car, she heard Shadow pause. 

“What are you doing?” he called.

“Nothing!” Amy looked at the picture and shrugged. It wasn’t the best, but the camera certainly made up for any shortcomings with her photography. She set it as her contact photo as she quickly sent a text from his phone to her own so as to capture his new number. “Hey, where’s your bike?” 

“...Why do you want to know?” 

“I want to take a picture of it with your new camera.” 

“...I don’t have a camera.” 

Amy pursed her lips, closing her eyes as she fought back a snicker, “On the phone, Shadow.” 

“What?” 

“There’s a camera on the phone.” 

“Oh.” She heard Shadow click his tongue, and she smiled as she pictured the face he was making while he added, “Over in the corner, opposite of the door. Not the garage door, the other one.” 

Amy spotted it. She had to tiptoe around paint cans and an air compressor, but eventually, she got there. Lifting the tarp that had been draped over it, she snapped a picture and set it as his backdrop. 

She smiled, calling over her shoulder, “Okay, your phone’s set up.” 

There was no reply. Pouting, she made her way back over and sat down on the tool box with a theatrical flourish. “A ‘thank you’ would be nice, if you can spare the time for one.” 

There was a grunt from under the car then a bang. Shadow swore loudly, and Amy could hear him slap a hand against the concrete floor as he barked, “Yes, thank you. Could you please just hand me the long-handled spanner?” 

Amy slid the tool under the car with a laugh, “You know this is why everyone thinks you’re a grumpy jackass, right? Even my roommates don’t like you, and they haven’t even met you.” 

Amy sucked in a breath through her teeth, eyes wide. “Not—okay, it’s not that they don’t like you, they got upset for a bit. Well, Genie was upset, but she’s not anymore, and Lorain just wanted to know that I was okay. They don’t dislike you. Please don’t get that impression. Um, they just— they— well— and sometimes the whole news doesn’t get passed around. They don’t know any better. But— seriously— it’s not that they don’t like you, I promise. I’m sorry. I’m really— I’m making this worse, aren’t I? 

After a moment, Shadow began shimmying out from under the vehicle. Amy gripped the cards in her pocket and watched until he turned to look at her, and she turned away. 

Nobody spoke. Then, Shadow said, “It’s okay, you know. They’re right to feel that way.” 

Amy blinked and turned back to him, taking in his calm face, his hands folded atop his chest, dirty fingers laced together atop that yellow sweatshirt.

And somehow, that made it hurt. 

“How often do people give you a hard time?” she asked, voice small. 

Shadow shrugged. Amy sighed. 

“That’s not fair,” she mumbled, “That’s fucking bullshit.” 

He rolled his eyes, “They do it to me, they do it to you, they do it to everyone. It doesn’t matter.” 

Amy stamped her foot, “It does though! It’s wrong, and it’s-it’s stupid, and it’s not the fucking truth!” 

“Look, we’ve got us,” he held up two fingers, gesturing between himself and Amy with them, then counted from there, ticking off one after the next, “ After that, Omega is the robot. Rouge is the harlot. Tails is the genius. Knuckles is the dumb muscle. Sonic is the hero. Eggman is the villain.” 

Shadow folded his hands on his chest again, body relaxed, but eyes seeming to burn as he looked at her. “Amy, it happens. If anything, I—” 

“You know she’s not going to change her mind, Shadow,” came Rouge’s voice from behind Amy. “Give it a rest.” 

Amy turned just as Rouge closed the door to the stairs behind her, leaning against the frame with a self-satisfied look. She looked to Shadow, but he had started to make his way back under the car and could feel herself starting to curl in on herself as she faced Rouge once more. 

The woman wore a face like she had caught Amy in the middle of something she wasn’t supposed to see, and though Amy wasn’t entirely sure how to take it, she knew it wasn’t good. 

“Anyway,” Rouge cleared her throat as she walked around Amy, “What brings you here on this dreary afternoon? Or did you really just want to say hello to this cute and lovable face?” 

With that, she reached down and yanked Shadow out from under her car by his foot. He had the brush of the anti-seize in one hand and a knut in the other, eyes wide with his sudden change of scenery. Amy couldn’t help but giggle, even as Shadow’s face melted into a scowl. 

“I just came to talk,” she said as she shrugged, “You know, say hi, pick his brain a little.” 

Rouge’s smile had all the sweetness of vinegar. “And that includes talking shit on your roommates? Interesting.” 

Fuck.

“No,” Amy voice quivered, and she hated it, “That’s not it at all. I just—”

“Rouge, stop teasing,” Shadow gently kicked her, and Rouge grimaced as she looked at the new smudge he left on her white boots. 

With a huff and a roll of her eyes, Rouge took a paper towel from the roll sitting on the floor and walking over to the opening of the garage, sticking the towel in the rain as she said, “He’s right you know. I’m only joking, but I’ll admit, I’m surprised at the company you keep if that’s how they think of a person they’ve never met.” 

Amy shook her head, “They’re super nice. I absolutely love them to bits. They just don’t quite...get the whole picture.” 

Rouge took the paper towel, now dampened by the rain, and proceeded to rub the smudge off of her boot as she said, “Well then, how about we meet them, hm? Give them the whole picture. I think Shadow and I might be free, oh I don’t know, Sunday?” 

“Fine.” 

It was harsher than intended. Maybe that was because Amy startled herself by saying it, the answer shooting out of her mouth faster than logic could stop it. Rouge’s smile grew even as Shadow sat up with a look of concern. 

“That’s not necessary—” 

“No, really, it’s a good idea.” Amy swallowed, eyes flashing between Shadow and Rouge. Why was she like this? She told herself to shut up even as she continued, “I was hoping you could eventually meet them anyway. Are you guys good with pizza? We can order pizza. It’ll be great.” 

Rouge practically beamed.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE DO NOT LET ME WORK ON TWO CHAPTERS AT THE SAME TIME I WAS GOING NUTS KLAJSDL;FJlkjsdl;fjasldfj
> 
> My deepest thanks, respects, and accolades for the following champions of the hour, who looked over this and help make it squeaky-clean:  
> BiolizardBoils ( https://biolizardboils.tumblr.com/ )  
> Mellow-Elbow ( https://mellow-elbow.tumblr.com/ )  
> MySuperLaserPiss ( https://mysuperlaserpiss.tumblr.com/ )  
> ShadamySomeday ( https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadamySomeday/pseuds/ShadamySomeday )

By the time Sunday evening actually arrived, Amy was shaking. 

“It’s going to be great,” Loraine said as she typed away on her laptop, “Seriously. You’re working yourself up over this.” 

Amy glared at her. “Would you shut up? It’s going to be terrible. I literally had a panic attack where you’re sitting only four days ago when I first told you guys who he was, and now he’s going to be in the apartment with one of the scariest ladies I know.” 

Loraine’s eyes widened, smile firmly fixed to her face as she refused to meet Amy’s stare. “Yeees, but that was then. This is now, and now is fine. We’ll make it fine.” 

Amy sighed, thumbing the deck of cards in her pants pocket. “Please promise Genie won’t do anything stupid.” 

“If I could guarantee that, I would.” 

Amy groaned and flopped onto the couch. She could hear Loraine click her tongue as she gently slapped her until Amy lifted her face from the pillow it had sunken into. 

“What?” 

“The pizza will be here soon, but...do you think I ordered enough? I got 3 since I don’t know how much they’ll eat, and we can always stash the leftovers in the freezer. Thoughts?”

“Whatever you did will be fine. I can pay you back once I get my cheque.” Amy rolled onto her back and pulled out her phone to check her messages, only to be greeted once more with nothing. 

Loraine turned her head a little, “What time are they going to get here? Genie’s still out and about. If they’re going to arrive soon, one of us needs to text her.” 

“...I never gave a time.” 

She sighed, “Amy, oh my god.” 

“I was hoping they might forget!” Amy whined, “I really don’t want to do this!” 

“Then why did you agree?” 

“I felt like I had no other choice! Rouge got me in a weird spot and I panicked.” 

Loraine shut her laptop and turned to face Amy fully. “What weird spot was that?” 

Amy pursed her lips, looking at the ceiling. She could feel Loraine’s gaze burning holes in her, but she refused to face her. Eventually, though, she sighed, shutting her eyes as she hung her head. 

“She...may...have overheard me trying to backpedal from a comment I...may or may not have made to Shadow… about how you two were a little upset that I was talking to him.” 

Loraine groaned, “Oh, for fuck’s sake Amy.” 

“I know,” she cradled her head in her hands, “She’s one of his closest friends. I absolutely fucked up.” 

“You really do run your mouth when you’re anxious.” 

“Yeah…” 

She heard Loraine sigh, and then the shuffle of her going to stand. “Listen, whatever happens, Genie and I love you, okay? We’re a little on edge but, I won’t lie, but… if this Shadow guy and whoever Rouge is are as good as you say they are, then we’ll shut up about it and you’ll get to tell us both, ‘I told you so.’” 

Amy looked up then, chewing her lip as she mumbled, “You mean it?” 

“Yes,” Loraine rolled her eyes even as she chuckled, “Yes I mean it.” 

Amy stood and hugged Loraine, who laughed as she squeezed back as she said, “Guess I’ll just stick the pizza in the oven to keep it warm until—” 

The door opened. 

“Oh my goodness gracious well I guess you’re here then!” 

Amy could feel Loraine freeze in her arms, and as she turned her head, she felt her heart drop. 

Genie, Rouge, and Shadow stood there in the doorway. Amy’s eyes darted to Genie first and took in the furrowed brow, the wide eyes, the hunched shoulders. Amy had to wonder if it was because Rouge had thrown her arm around the smaller woman or the fact that Rouge had an expression that could only have been defined as very self-satisfied. Shadow, on the other hand, stood away from the other two, looking at Amy with furrowed brow, chewing on the inside of his lip, and standing with such a tight posture that it was a wonder he hadn’t turned into stone. 

Amy swallowed, then, putting on a smile, gestured to the apartment, “Well, come in!” 

“Thanks honey,” Rouge said as they all stepped in, taking off her coat as she looked around. “Goodness gracious Genie, I always did wonder what little place you slouched out of. I never realized it would be so cozy.” 

Amy looked out of the corner of her eye and caught Genie giving Loraine a look as she shook her head, only to turn and say over her shoulder, “That’s thanks to those two. I just keep the plants alive.” 

“That’s right! You must be Loraine!” Rouge beamed as she took a few steps towards the woman. Placing her hands on her hips, she looked Loraine up and down before turning to Genie and saying, “How are you so lucky? She’s absolutely stunning.” 

Loraine giggled, looking towards Amy with a raised brow before turning back to the lady standing in front of her, “Oh, wow, well thank you!” 

Amy looked over at Genie, who had a face of stone as Rouge chuckled, “And so modest! Practically unheard of for a performer, but that’s all Genie’s ever said. Please, tell me a little about yourself? She never says anything.” 

“Love, do you know when dinner’s getting here?” Genie cut in, “I’m sure these two have a lot they need to get on with.” 

“Actually,” Rouge shot a look at Genie out of the corner of her eye still smiling, “we blocked out the whole evening.” 

Amy had to exert herself to not allow her face to bend into a grimace. From behind Rouge, she could see Shadow looking about the apartment like a man trapped in a cage, wide-eyed and unsure. 

It was the look of a person well aware of being caught in a bitch fight, and though Amy was better at hiding it, she hoped he knew she felt the same way. 

Taking a deep breath, she turned towards Rouge and tried to be brave. “Well, that’s awesome. Take a seat. There’s the floor, there’s the couch, I can bring a chair out. And- do you guys want anything to drink?” 

“That would be absolutely delightful,” Rouge sat on the sofa with all the confidence of a woman who owned the world, “What do you have?” 

Amy rubbed her hands together, “We have alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Let’s start with that.” 

“Alcoholic sounds wonderful. A mixed drink, if you can. I’ll leave it to you.” 

Amy waited for a bit, looking at Shadow who just looked right back at her. With a sigh, Rouge waved a hand, catching his attention as she said, “She’s asking what you want to drink.” 

He licked his lips, and Amy could see teeth marks embedded into them as he mumbled, “Orange juice, please.” 

“With or without some liquor?” 

“...With.” 

Rouge gave a small chuckle, turning back to Amy as she shrugged, and Amy felt her smile soften on her face, biting back a giggle as she moved from the living room into the kitchen. Genie walked past her and down the hall as Amy pulled some of the random assortment of used jars that passed as glasses out of a cupboard. From behind, she heard Loraine ask, “So, how is it you know Genie?” 

Rouge laughed, “We’re business partners, sweetheart. She deals in my establishment.” 

One of the glasses slipped from Amy’s hand and shattered against the floor. 

“Fuck!” She froze, looking down at her feet as she tried to reach for the light switch. Amy heard swift footsteps approaching, and she looked up just in time to see Shadow turn on the light for her. 

“Let me help,” he said, grabbing a roll of paper towels off of the counter.

Amy shook her head, “There’s no need—” 

“Please.”

Maybe it was because she heard a sudden shift in the voices coming from the living room, or the pitiful look he was giving her, but Amy found herself able to do nothing but sigh and nod. Shadow tore off some paper towels and handed them to Amy, who dampened them as best she could before both crouched to wipe up the broken glass. As they got to work, Amy pulled her phone out and fired a quick text full of question marks to Genie. 

She could hear the bing of them being received down the hall, followed by a soft curse. 

“You know,” Shadow said, not looking up from the floor, “We can leave whenever you ask us to.”

Amy turned around to grab the trashcan from under the sink, giving herself an excuse to hide her face as she mumbled, “I know that,” before setting the trashcan down next to them. 

“Then tell us to leave.” 

She looked at him then, and was startled by the hard stare he was giving her as he said almost in a whisper, “End this, now. Tell us to go home.” 

“That’s stupid,” she hissed, casting a glance towards the living room, “You’re already here.” 

“This is painful. It’s my fault—” 

“For fuck’s sake, shut up. It’s not your fault. If anything, it’s mine. Rouge is only doing this because of what I said, and honestly, I don’t blame her. I was pissed, too.” Amy tried to smile, “Besides, food is on the way, we’ve got booze, and I’m going to see if I can’t get Genie to lighten the mood.” 

At that, her phone went off, and checking it, she saw a slew of laughing and crying emojis. Amy sighed, “Once she gets over her dumb ass, that is.”

Shadow shot a look behind him and down the hall, but didn’t say anything. They finished cleaning up, and as Shadow walked back to the living room, Amy made a set of drinks and placed them on a tray. The volume had died down, and she felt herself begin to bristle as she walked back into the room, the drinks betraying her shaking hands as she mustered up a smile and said, “Here we go. Sorry. Lorie, I made you one too, same as Rouge’s. ‘S a rum and coke. That okay?” 

As Amy rounded the corner, Loraine looked over Rouge’s shoulder, face tense and pale as she said, “Oh thank you so much!” 

Amy tried to catch Shadow’s eye, but he had buried his attentions in a spider plant that was hanging just over his head in the opposite corner of the room. Rouge shifted in her seat almost languishingly as Amy set the tray down on the coffee table. The woman offered nothing more than a smile, which Amy returned before snatching Shadow’s drink, thrusting it into his hands, and making her way back to the kitchen where she promptly took a shot of vodka. 

Fuck this, she thought, hissing through her teeth as she poured two more. Fuck this, fuck me, fuck tonight. He’s right. I should end this. 

But that would be calling it quits, and that is not something Amy Rose did lightly. 

Taking a deep breath, she took both the shots in hand and made her way back down the hall, slipping into the room that used to be Genie’s bedroom. 

The entire interior had been done over to create a makeshift greenhouse. The reds and blues of plant lamps illuminated the space, and it was filled to the brim with strange smelling herbs and variations of weed that Amy couldn’t have ever, in a million years, remembered the names to. Genie stood by the open window, back to the door and puffing furiously on a joint. Amy sat the shot glass down on the sill. 

She looked out the window, then back at her friend and said softly, “You didn’t tell Loraine.”

Genie shook her head and said nothing. Amy sighed and shifted, leaning against the wall. Genie offered her the joint, which she took, and after a deep drag, mumbled, “You can’t keep pulling this shit and not telling her. She’s going to stop being worried at some point and just be angry.” 

Down the hall, there was the sound of a doorbell. Amy looked towards it just as Genie muttered, “She knows enough. There’s no need for specifics. It’ll only make her upset.” 

“Club Rouge has a reputation.” 

“Yeah? Like I don’t know? But for all of that, it’s clean on the inside, got good security, no rigged machines, and no riff-raff allowed. No junkies. No cons. Whatever people say, it’s not bad.” 

“Like I was saying about Shadow?” 

Amy smiled as she watched Genie grind her teeth, handing the joint back to her. For a moment, neither spoke. They just watched the sun slowly sink into the bay and the smoke dissipate into the evening until Genie finally said, “I watched him punch a dude out cold once. Then, he picked him up and threw him out across the fucking street. Guy is scary.” 

“Why’d he punch him?” 

“Apparently he was messing around with a camera that was pointing towards the bathrooms.” 

“Sounds like a perfectly good reason to deck someone in my opinion.” 

“Yeah,” mumbled Genie, nodding, “Yeah…Didn’t know his name then, or who he was, just that he manned the floor.”

“Does it matter now that you do?” 

Genie cast a side eye at Amy, then sighed, letting her head fall into her hands, grumbling, “I need to get back out there, don’t I?” 

Amy chuckled. “Not to sound dire, but considering your girlfriend and a lady you regularly do business with are out there possibly ripping each other’s heads off, yeah, I’d say yeah, you should.”

“Fuck me,” hissed Genie.

“Hey,” Amy nudged her friend, “None of that. Go get that new shit you were playing with before. I’ll get The Flicky.” 

Genie stood up, shaking her head and she picked up the shot glass, “I don’t smoke with business partners.” 

“You’re not smoking with a business partner, you’re smoking with a friend of a friend tonight,” Amy clinked her glass against Genie’s and grinned, “Now let's get a move on before this whole thing blows up.” 

Genie rolled her eyes as the two of them downed their shots. Smacking her lips, Genie handed the empty glass to Amy and rolled up her sleeves, nodding as she turned to her work bench. 

For the first time all evening, something like hope flickered in Amy’s chest.


	8. Chapter 8

So, you've been waiting very patiently for me to post Ch8. 

Here's the deal- until AO3 decides to no longer protect RPF pornographic works featuring minors, I'm not going to be posting here. 

If you would like to read more about the issue and understand my decision, as well as support #TransformAO3Policy, please read here-https://w0lp3rtinger.tumblr.com/post/638967505741889536/people-in-relation-to-this-tumblr-post-or-this

If you would like to keep up with my work and read the latest chapter, please follow this link- https://www.deviantart.com/w0lp3rtinger/art/Hanging-On-to-Tomorrow-ch8-865589654

If you have anything you'd like to ask/say/chat about, or you'd just like to swing by and say hello, I'd love to hear from you. You can message me over on my tumblr- I'm most active there. 

Cheer and happy New Years guys. Let's do our best to make it better than this year.


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